A Way Home
by BadWolfIsMe
Summary: Rose hears the TARDIS and runs to a parellel Doctor. But a reunion might be a little much for the Doctor of her universe. and how does the Bad Wolf fit into the mess? will Rose and her Doctor ever be together? read to find out!
1. A New Doctor

**I do not own Doctor Who!! ...But...someday...maybe...if i wish _really_ hard...**

**very short chapter, this, the next one will be longer, i promise!**

* * *

_50p…50p…50p…_

Rose fumbled through her old, worn purse, looking for one last coin to save her having to wait any longer for the already-10minuets-late bus she needed to catch into the town centre.

Rose sighed inwardly, was this what her life was coming to? The most interesting parts of her days consisting of how much change she had in her purse and waiting for the bus? How horrible it all was!

_It could be worse though, _she thought to herself, _I could be dead. _But how could she call this living? Every day, get up, eat chips, go to work, go to bed. This wasn't living!

Life hadn't always been this tedious for Rose, though, once, she had the most incredible life anyone could ever wish for! She had seen things most people couldn't even dream of! And she had loved every second of it! Not just the travelling, either, although that was amazing, it was just the ability to make a difference, that was probably what Rose missed most about her old life. Not to mention Him.

Life without The Doctor. She might as well be dead. Every day was a constant struggle for Rose. She was nothing like she used to be, all full of life and ready for anything life threw at her, now she just…was. Losing the Doctor had left her heartbroken and empty. There was a hollow space in her heart where the Doctor should be, and Rose knew that nothing would ever fill that gap, nothing short of the Doctor returning for her and sweeping her into his arms, like he did, all that time ago.

_Look at yourself Rose, let him go!_

But as much as she tried, Rose could stop thinking about the Doctor as easily as she could survive with out oxygen. She needed him. For the past year and a bit, Rose had argued with herself every morning, deciding whether or not to get up, cuz life was nothing without the Doctor.

_Aaaaaaaaaa_

_Damn 50p!_

Sighing again, Rose did the inevitable, and asked, very politely, the woman behind her in the queue if she had two 50 pence pieces for £1.

Muttering under her breath, and with the air of someone who really didn't want to do something, but couldn't think of a good enough excuse not to, the woman began rummaging through her purse. This kind of people tended to get her a bit peeved, the sort of people who never checked how much change they have before going out, and expect the world to stop while they ask every living thing to waste their time looking for them!

Eventually, the woman pulled out two 50pence pieces, but when she turned to hand them over to the young, blond woman who had asked for them, she found no-one standing there, just a small £1 coin, spinning on the floor, as the only proof that anyone had ever been standing there.

"Well…how very inconsiderate!" the woman declared, bending over to pick up the still-spinning coin, "How very inconsiderate in deed!"

o0o0o

Running…running…running…. Rose hadn't run like this in years! Blood was pumping in her ears, and her legs were screaming at her to stop, but Rose didn't listen, cuz she had heard it. The TARDIS. And now, nothing could stop her.

The long-missed sound rang in her head, egging her on. Telling her that she mustn't stop, mustn't falter, must keep running. Rose didn't need any of that to keep her running, she knew far too well what was at stake here, she knew that she couldn't let him fly away from her. She wouldn't let him leave her again. So she kept running.

Faster and faster, through a never-ending city, down so many paths and roads and shortcuts, any normal person would have given up long ago, but not Rose. She would follow the sound of The TARDIS to the ends of the earth, and she had. A long time ago.

Finally Rose pulled herself to a stop a little before she reached the glory and splendour of her long-awaited TARDIS. She slowly turned the last corner, and peaked out at the most magnificent ship in the universe. Any of them. She had to dig her nails into the wall to stop herself from running at The TARDIS, from jumping inside and promising to never leave it's safety again! Something in the back of her mind was telling her no. Don't go running up to The TARDIS, there was something she needed to know first. Just wait.

So, Rose Tyler waited. Before long, the answer to why she had been told to wait became obvious as The Doctor walked up to his machine. The Doctor, but not Her Doctor. It was a different man.

This man had the face of The Doctor before he had regenerated, her old Doctor. That's how Rose knew that this man was not her Doctor. He was the Doctor alright, but the Doctor from a parallel world, this world. Of course, Rose knew, deep down, that it wouldn't be her Doctor, she knew that would be impossible, but still, seeing this other Doctor, this old Doctor, was enough to make her heart ache, and one, painful tear rolled it's way down the side of her face.

Reaching up a hand to brush it away, Rose waited until The Doctor stepped inside his TARDIS, the ship she loved so much, before walking out from behind the corner, putting her hand in her pocket, and pulling out her cherished key. Rose felt the key warm in her hand, as though happy at her touch, and knowing that it will soon be used again. The key was practically buzzing as Rose lent over and placed it in the small keyhole of the amazing TARDIS.

The door swung open easily, just as it always had, and Rose couldn't suppress a small sob as she looked at the TARDIS interior, to find it exactly the same as it had been, so long ago.

The Doctor looked up from his ship's controls as a young, blond girl stepped into the TARDIS. He frowned, his ship was trying to tell him something, but it had stopped when the girl had stepped in. Looking from the computer screen to the girl and back again, he decided that he'd better say something. After all, he had no idea who she was, and her was almost positive that he had locked the door when he came in. So who was she?

"Umm, hello?" The Doctor said, a tad unsure of the girl, who was now looking around, not in shock, but in memory,

"Hello Doctor," The girl replied, not really looking at him,

"Sorry, don't mean to be rude, but who exactly are you, and how did you get on my ship?" The Doctor asked. He wasn't sure quite what to think of the girl, who he now saw had the beginnings of tears in her eyes,

All the Doctor got in response, however, was a small, metal, slightly glowing key. A key to The TARDIS.

"How did you get that?" He breathed, coming over to get a better look,

"It's a long story," She answered, bringing a hand to her face in a feeble attempt at stopping the tears that were beginning to spill out of her tired eyes.

The Doctor beckoned to the girl to come and sit next to him on the large, almost sofa like chair.

"What's your name?" He asked, his breath tickling her ear,

"Rose Tyler…" The girl replied, and began to tell this new Doctor who, exactly, she was.


	2. Old Memories

**hehe! longer! **

**i was a bit worried this chaper was going to be even shorter, but luckily i got some insparation and made it longer!**

**if you like my story so far, please review, reviews make me happy, and help me write more! and if you don't like it, than review anyway! tell me how to improve!**

**a HUGE thank you to **Protector of the Gray Fortress **for their wonderful review! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much!**

* * *

She told him everything, and he just sat there and listened. The TARDIS had thoughtfully placed a box of tissues next to Rose, and she had nearly used up the whole box with her tears.

She hated herself for being such a wimp! She had told herself time and time again upon entering The TARDIS not to cry, but it hadn't stopped the tears from rolling down her face as she relived the time she had spent with her Doctor, telling a man who should have been there through it all, her whole life from meeting the Doctor.

It was at the end of her story, though, that hurt the most to tell. The time she had deliberately kept to the back of her mind for all this time, because it was just too painful to revisit. The last moments Rose Tyler had spent with the Doctor. She had never really talked about it to anyone, not even her mum dared to touch the subject. Just thinking of it was enough to send tears streaming down her face, after all, that was the moment she had found out that she would never see her Doctor again. The worst day of her life.

Along with that, was the thought of telling this new Doctor that she had loved him. Well, not _him_ but a parallel him, who couldn't really be that different, could he?

o0o0o

The Doctor had sat patently and listened while this girl …this… Rose Tyler told him all she knew. He listened as she told him about his regeneration, and didn't stop her, although he knew that she was telling him some things that he maybe shouldn't be finding out yet, but he listened. He didn't interrupt once, even when she told him how it had all ended.

She told him all of it. Right up to her hearing the TARDIS and coming running. She said that she knew to wait until he was inside, because she had a connection with the TARDIS in her own world, and it must have worked on this TARDIS too. She said that she had some residual energy from the time vortex in her.

o0o0o

Finally, when she had told him everything, the Doctor spoke,

"And now…?" he asked, in a calm, controlled, but fairly quiet voice,

"And now I need to get back. It's just… not worth it… here… on my own," she replied, quietly.

So that was it then, was it? He would help her get back, and she would walk away without a backwards glance. The Doctor didn't know if he could do that, he had watched far to many people he cared about walk away, and he obviously cared for Rose Tyler in another universe. He didn't want to get that close to anyone. Ever. Again.

But the way she spoke, awakening feelings the Doctor had long forgotten he owned, it scared him, she seemed so sure of what she felt, she knew what she wanted and would stop at nothing to get it. She knew where she belonged.

The Doctor felt guilt stab at his hearts, guilt for showing this girl the universe and snatching it away. Even if it wasn't directly him, even in a parallel universe, he couldn't be that different, he still should have known better. And her eyes. She thought he loved her, and for a moment, the Doctor believed that he really could've.

o0o0o

"So… will you take me?" the Doctor looked at the girl, she was asking to go with him. Something inside him wanted to take her with him, he knew he could do with the company, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to let anyone in yet,

"You don't want to come with me," he stated, quietly,

"Yes I do!" she said, without a moments hesitation,

"No, you want _your _Doctor,"

Rose stopped then. She couldn't deny that, if there was even the smallest possibility, she would be gone in a moment, back to her Doctor, but… she didn't want to just stay at home and do nothing! She wanted to live her life again! With her Doctor or this one!

"I'm not leaving this TARDIS!" Rose insisted. She couldn't, not again, she just couldn't,

"You will do as I say!" the Doctor felt red-hot anger bubbling up inside him, who was this girl? Swanning into _his_ TARDIS, telling him some heartbreaking story of how she loved him, but not him, another him, and implying… that he loved her back! No! How dare she?! "Listen here, Rose Tyler, you come in here, uninvited, unwanted, _unneeded_, and expect me to take you to the far reaches of the universe… and why? Because you are in love with me from a parallel universe. Or so you say, but quite frankly, I'm still not sure If I believe you or not."

"You're right. I'm so sorry. I should have never come here, it was a mistake to think that any Doctor would want me! But, I promise you, that I loved that man with all of my heart, and I trusted him completely, and I know that he would never have let anything happen to me! We couldn't have stayed together, not forever, I know that, but he wouldn't have left me, and he wouldn't kick me out! So sorry for wasting your time," and, with that, Rose Tyler ran from the TARDIS, tears falling in fresh, hot streams down her face, and she didn't try to hide them. She just let them fall.

o0o0o

She could have fought with the Doctor. She was sure that she could've made him take her with him, she knew him after all, she could get to him, but, what was the point? Why push him? She loved him with all her heart, and she knew what he meant. It would be too hard to say goodbye again. Okay, he didn't say that, but she knew that's what he had been thinking. And he was right. As always. She didn't want to stay there, she would rather have been with her Doctor, from her world.

The Doctor just stood there. Thinking about what Rose had just said. He knew it was harsh, but he _had_ to send her away. If he had taken her with him, who knows what would have happened! He could already feel himself falling for her, and he didn't _do _love. It just…wasn't him.

Despite that, the Doctor hoped Rose Tyler would find a way back. Back to a life she so obviously deserved, and he hoped that she could enjoy so many more memories with her Doctor.

"She's coming home, she's on her way," he whispered, to the man she clearly loved so much, "Don't let go yet…"

o0o0o

More tears came as Rose turned another corner. She was running somewhere, she was vaguely aware of that, too lost in her thoughts of the Doctor, both the man she lost and the man she had just met, to notice where her feet were taking her. She knew she could fight her way out of any danger, that's what the Doctor had taught her, and she knew it to be true. While thinking of him, well, she was capable of anything.

Including this, she realised, as she saw where her feet had taken her.

* * *

As Rose looked up to the tall, abandoned building of Canary Warf, she felt the knot in her throat tighten. She had promised herself that she would never come here again. Too many unpleasant memories, too much heartache.

She wondered why she had come to this place, of all places! Why couldn't she have gone somewhere else? She had all of London, she could've gone anywhere, but she come here. And she hated herself for it!

Rose doubled up, as fresh, unbidden tears threatened to overtake her, but she fought them back. _If I have to be here, the least I can do is not cry about it_, she thought to herself, after all, she had done far too much crying today.

Filled with a sudden, unstoppable urge to go inside, to see that room just one more time, Rose slowly walked over to the large, boarded up side entrance and crept inside.

o0o0o

Slowly and quietly, so as not to get caught, Rose found her way to the stairs of the old, run-down building. She remembered how she and her Doctor had once run up these stairs, bounding along to see what the Daleks were doing with the Genesis Ark, Rose could still feel the warmth of his hand in hers as he had pulled her along corridor after corridor, running to find out. To know.

She missed him so much!

Rose shook herself, _that was a long time ago, it's time to move on now. He would want you to be happy,_ but no matter how hard she tried, Rose simply couldn't be happy without the Doctor. Without his warmth, his lopsided grin, his voice – speaking at such a rate it was almost impossible to understand what he was saying when he had just worked something out, the way he always knew when she was upset, or needed a hug. He could see right through her, and he always knew. Always. Nothing could ever compare to that. And Rose didn't want to waste her life trying to forget something that would never leave her alone.

Finally, Rose reached the top of the stairs. She could've taken the lift, for she was sure it was still working, but something in her made her want to walk up the stairs. She was in no rush. She didn't even know why she was here.

In almost an instant, Rose didn't want to be there anymore. She just couldn't do it. The pain was just too much! She was about to turn, to run from this place, never to look back again, when she heard it.

So faint, barely more than a gust of wind, Rose could've easily ignored it, if it hadn't come again.

_Rose…_

Just a whisper, but so familiar, calling her, pulling her towards one room.

_Rose…_

Could she do this? She didn't know.

_Rose…_

So faint now, and getting fainter, Rose knew she only had a fraction of a second to make her decision.

_Rose…_

She did it. At the last minuet, Rose turned and ran towards the room. The ghosting room. The last room she had ever been in with the Doctor.

Her heart lunged as she placed her hand on the metal handle of the room. Since when had it been so cold? Rose shivered, she couldn't do this, but she knew she must.

Taking a deep breath, Rose closed her hand around the door handle, and let herself in.

The room was empty. Of course it was! What did she expect, the Doctor? Rose shook herself – she had been doing that quite a lot, today – and carefully closed the door behind her.

She slowly made her way down the centre of the room, letting her mind wonder to her last moments with the Doctor. The real Doctor. Not the Doctor she had seen on Bad Wolf Bay, the last time she had touched his skin, felt his warmth, the last time she had been really happy.

"_That's it, bit of a smile, the old team,"_

_The Doctor flashing her one of his smiles, the first time he smiled since she returned from the parellel world, telling him that she would never leave him_

"_Hope and glory, mutt and geff, shiver and shake!"_

She passed the computers, memories flooded her head,

"_Which one's shiver?"_

"_Oh, I'm shake!"_

_Pushing one of those clamps into her, laughing, smiling, just like they always did when they were together_

She kept walking, just…remembering.

She walked over to the leavers, running her fingers gently down one's thin, cold body,

_Lights, Daleks and Cybermen flying passed her, her blond hair being blown about as she grips the bar with all she has, she looks up, into the Doctor's excited, brown eyes as he yells_

"_The bridge is open! Into the void! Ha!"_

Rose suddenly found herself trying to resist an overwhelming urge to pull up the leavers, to open the void one last time, to end it.

She noticed that she was holding the handle. Straining not to pull it up. She wondered if both leavers had to go up at the same time, or if she could just do them, one after the other.

Rose decided to take a risk. She suddenly griped the handle much tighter, and pulled it, straight up. A calm, robotic voice sounded,

_iBridge active, last chance,i/_

A blink of an eye and a flash of white light later, Rose was gone.

At the same time, the Doctor looked up at the screen on his TARDIS to see the words, _**The Bad Wolf Is Gone**_, and he smiled. Rose was going home.


	3. More Running

**sorry about the delay in this chapter, I have been debating weather or not Rose should regenerate tricky desision. I'm still not sure, what do you think? Is it too late to change my mind?? hmmmmm :S**

**REVIEWS!! Keep them coming to keep me writing!! Please!! Reviews make me happy!! :D**

**thank you soooooo much to everyone who's reviewed so far! please keep going!! :D**

* * *

The Doctor woke with a start as his TARDIS began beeping. Loudly.

He groaned to himself, and pulled his heavy body back into the seat he had fallen asleep in. At that moment, he almost hated the old girl for waking him when she did.

He had been dreaming about Rose. Not that he didn't always dream about her, it was just that there was something about this dream, something…else. The dream had been a lot more vibrant, for one thing, more clear, but that wasn't it. No, that was too simple, sometimes the Doctor did have very fluent dreams, it was all part of being a Time Lord, but this dream had been different, he was sure of it. He just couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.

Rose had been different, in the dream. Different, but yet the same. Again, the Doctor wasn't quite sure on _how_ Rose had been different, but he was sure she had been.

_Pull yourself together, Doctor, it was just a dream. She's gone, she can't come back. Ever._

But even as the Doctor thought this, he was imagining seeing Rose again. He knew what he would say word for word, he had thought about it so many times in his head. Every time he was scared, or needed to calm down,

_Hello Doctor,_

_Hello Rose, I've missed you,_

And it went on. He knew all of it backwards, no matter what Rose said, he knew what to say back. And he _would_ tell her. He _had _to tell her.

The TARDIS beeped again. Louder.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming!" the Doctor looked up from his thoughts and painful memories, to see two words, flashing on the TARDIS screen.

At the Doctor's open mouthed, eye's widened face, the TARDIS hummed, smugly, as if to say,

_Told you so. But would you listen? No!_

The Doctor just stared, long after the words had faded from the screen.

"Bad Wolf…" he breathed, "but… that's impossible…"

And then the TARDIS hummed again, this time saying,

_Nothing's impossible. Your own words._

But the Doctor wasn't listening, he was already flying around the consol, flicking switches and turning rings like a madman, sending the TARDIS into a blur of colour and movement. A manic grin spread across his face as the Doctor brought the TARDIS to a sudden stop and rushed into the TARDIS, dragging a reluctant companion out the doors and into the cold of a London morning.

"She's here," was all Donna got as a reply to her earlier question,

"What happened to a well-deserved rest?"

o0o0o

_Darkness._

Rose groggily woke up. He head felt like a brick and the silence pressing down on her ears was like two more bricks stacked up next to her.

Rose had no idea where she was. The only clue she had to go by was… nothing. So much nothing. Everywhere.

_So this is death? _Rose thought. Then she smiled.

Rose was tired of living. Tired of the constant struggle of staying alive when there's nothing to live for. Her life was so pointless without the Doctor, she was almost glad it was over.

Slowly, painfully slowly, Rose stretched her limbs and did a quick mental check;

_Two legs, two arms, two feet, two hands_

She then brought her arms to her face,

_Two eyes, two ears, one nose, one mouth, two eyebrows. I'm fine._

She breathed a sigh of relief and slowly opened half an eye.

_Nothing._

Rose opened her eye fully, and her other one followed quickly.

_Still nothing._

"Well, that can't be right,"

Rose didn't know what she expected in death, but she always thought there would be something, well, _more. _

Suddenly, an alarm sounded from somewhere above her head.

Rose sat up quickly, too quickly. She instantly felt like her whole body was on fire, as she was pulled back into existence.

o0o0o

"Is she okay? What happened?"

"I don't know,"

"But, where did she come from?"

"Dunno, she just sorta, _appeared_,"

"Do we know who she is?"

"Not yet, but they'll want to see her in reception,"

"Suppose…"

"What?

"Nothing, 's not important,"

Rose lay face down on the pavement, as the conversation continued to rumble on above her. Her head felt like she'd been in a blender for 3 weeks solid, and her limbs were being shot with white-hot pain. She tried to move, but found her body wasn't listening to her anymore, so she just lay there. On the floor. Hoping that the men chatting above her would either move her into a more comfy position, or carry on their convocation somewhere else so Rose could concentrate on getting herself of this goddamn pavement.

"hourfgbesugy" Rose finally managed to whisper,

"What?" the men were instantly on alert,

"hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" she was having problems finding the words,

"Are you okay, love?" one of the men bent down to have a look at her,

"getmeoffthefloor" Rose mumbled, still with her face on the pavement,

"Sorry?"

"Get. Me. Off. The. Floor." She spoke very slowly and clearly this time. Well, as clearly as she could with a face full of gravel,

"Oh, right sorry," the two men scrambled to sit Rose up, her blond hair falling over her face and into her mouth. She hesitantly reached up to brush it away and was met with more white-hot pain.

"Ow!" she shouted, doubling over so the men had to grab her shoulders to prevent her from falling back onto the dirt.

When Rose could finally sit up on her own, she tried to speak again, hesitant about straining herself,

"Where… Where am I?" her voice was barely more than a whisper,

"You're in London, love," one of the men replied,

"Where in London?" she asked

"Canary Warf, are you sure you're okay" the other man said,

Rose's strength failed her for a moment. This wasn't her London. Well, it was, but it was her old London, the London she had dreamed about for a year and a bit. She was home.

Happiness welled up inside her, but was quickly swallowed down by an almost unbearable sorrow at leaving her mum behind, along with Pete and Amy, he sister. Rose knew they would be okay, they had each other, but she still wished she could've had a chance to say goodbye.

Rose looked up at the tower behind her. It was still there, but Rose doubted anyone used it any more, not since…

Rose suddenly remembered the men,

"Yer, I'm fine, thanks," Rose answered in an obviously dismissive tone,

"Where you heading?" the first man asked. Now this was getting a bit personal for Rose's liking,

"Home." It was a perfectly good answer, and so close to the truth; the TARDIS had once been Rose's home, and it was still the only place she felt, truly, at home, she just hoped she would still be welcome when - _if_ - she got back,

"Would you like to come with us for a cup of tea, or something?" the other guy asked, "My name is Richard, by the way," he added,

"And I'm James," the first guy slipped in, making sure he wasn't forgotten, "Who are you?"

Rose had to think about that one. She didn't really want to know these people, and wasn't sure how much she could trust them. Eventually she decided on, "Rose. My name is Rose. Thanks for the offer, but I really must be off. No rest for the wicked," she added with an evil grin and a wink.

"Please come, just for an hour or so," Richard was really beginning to piss Rose off now, she just wanted to find the Doctor – he had to be around here somewhere, and she wouldn't rest until she was safe, in his arms again.

"No thank you," Rose insisted, standing up straight and brushing some dirt off her top, "Maybe some other time,"

"Are you sure you won't come with us?" James asked, they really needed her down to reception as soon as possible, but she was being _im_possible, and very, very annoying!

"I'm sure," Rose said firmly, and with that she began to walk away,

"Wait!" Richard shouted after her, "Can we give you a lift somewhere, you said you were going home, can we drive you there? We wouldn't want you fainting like that again, would we, James?"

"Not at all," James relied, without hesitation,

"Don't worry about it. My friend should turn up soon, he's giving me a lift. In fact, he's probably wondering where I am," and, before they could stop her, Rose had ran around the corner, and out of view. Hurriedly, Richard and James ran after her disappearing shape, knowing that they would be in major trouble if they let her get away. There was something not quite right about this Rose girl. How come she just _appeared_, in the middle of the street, in broad daylight, outside the old Torchwood tower?

Richard and James ran for about 10 minuets flat, before admitting that they would probably never see the girl again. She was gone.

o0o0o

Rose pulled herself to a stop outside a random stop. She _had_ to stop running, her lungs couldn't have taken much more punishment. Every muscle in her body screamed at her for running so much in so little time. She couldn't keep doing this.

Rose sighed heavily between huge gulps of air, she was so out of practice, she made herself sick! Once, she could've run all day, flat out. No stops. She never used to need to stop.

But, then again, once she had the Doctor. And when she had the Doctor, nothing mattered. She didn't need anything so long as she had him. He was her air.

_Stop it. Stop it now!_

Rose mentally hit herself. She had to stop these obsessive thoughts about the Doctor. She knew she loved him. She knew she would never stop loving him. But thinking about him, and only him, weren't gunna help her gat back to him. She needed a plan.

Then she heard screaming.


	4. Donna

**quite a short one again. **

**lots of long, rambling, discriptive paragraphs which the beginings of this story are distinctivly lacking in, is that a good thing or not? let me know!**

**i also have a flashback (kinda) and quite a long talky bit where the Doctor talks in his famous Doctor fashion for a while, very quickly.**

**REVIEWS!! thanks you sooooooo much eveyone who has reviewed so far! you have no idea what it feels to get such fantastic comments!! thank you all, please keep reviewing my work!**

**i just want to write a little bit more about reviews, before i let you carry on with the story, so please just hold on a tiny bit longer, this won't take long. i just want to say how amazing it is to publish a piece of work like this, to put it up for the world to see - it's almost like putting up a little bit of you out there for the world to judge - and to discover that, not only have people taken the time to read what you've put, but also to COMMENT on it, really feels incredible! So really, to everyone who has taken the time to read all this, and reviewed after, thank you so much! it only takes about 1 min to write a quick review, but the feeling you get when you recieve it lasts for hours!**

**phew! those of you who read all that, thanks! i won't keep you any longer, the Doctor awaites!**

**REVIEWS PLEASE!! :D**

* * *

Running again. All Rose seemed to be doing these days was run. _These days? _Itwas hard to imagine that just this morning, Rose had been an ordinary person, waiting for a bus. Well, not that ordinary, she _had_ been thinking about the alien she loved, and had travelled with, but on-one would've known that. Except her family, and Mickey. Rose wondered what they would be doing at that moment. Her mum would probably be feeding Amy, her _Pete_ would be getting home from work in a couple of hours, and Mickey would be joining them for tea today. No-one would notice she had gone for a few hours yet, she normally tended to keep herself to herself during the day, alone with her memories. Mickey may have realised something wasn't right when Rose hadn't turned up for work this morning, but sometimes Rose did go wondering – one of the many befits of being the boss's daughter, from a parallel universe or not – although not often, it wasn't completely unheard of.

_No. Not now. Not now I'm so close!_

Rose snapped herself out of the looming, terrible, deep thoughts of her family. She was going to see the Doctor again. After all this time. There would be time to think of them later, right now she had to concentrate.

Screaming. Follow the screaming. But the screaming had stopped.

o0o0o

The Doctor grinned, guiltily. It wasn't _his _fault! All he'd done was peek around the door of the ladies toilets to shout at Donna for taking so long! Was it _his_ fault some girls had taken their tops of? Who takes their tops off in a public loo anyway?

Donna had been furious, but the Doctor didn't care too much about that, he just wanted to run, and to keep running until he landed in a pair of open arms and loose himself in a soft tangle of blond hair. He wanted to feel arms wrapped around his neck so tightly he could barely breath, as he pulls the perfect weight off the ground and spins her around so that all he can see is her and all she can see is him.

Rose would've understood. She wouldn't have joined the other, screaming girls, chasing him away – right down the street – until he finally gets on his knees and apologises. Again and again. She would've stood up for him, would've understood his impatience to go.

Then again. Rose wouldn't have insisted on going to the toilets, when the Doctor so clearly wanted to run. She would've grabbed his hand and never let it go, she would've ran to the ends of the universe with the Doctor. And further, if the Doctor had suggested it.

Then _again_, if he had Rose, then he wouldn't want to move off so quickly, he wouldn't _need _to find her. She would already be there.

"Sorry. Again." The Doctor said, guiltily, to Donna, who was barely talking to him,

"That's okay, Doctor. I know how much you want to find her," Donna replied, with a hint of forgiveness the Doctor was sure he would've found in Rose's voice seconds after the whole affaire occurred, "but are you _sure_ she's here. I mean, London's a big place, and it's around for a lot of years, how can you be sure she's here, she's now," Donna was trying to be gentle, she knew how much Rose meant to the Doctor, but still, she wasn't too sure about the whole 'run around until we see some random blond and hope it's Rose' plan, it just seemed to far fetched. As if Rose's being here, in this universe, wasn't far fetched enough. All they had to go on was the Doctor's word that the TARDIS had told him. But even then, all the TARDIS had said was 'Bad Wolf'. What exactly _was_ 'Bad Wolf' anyway?

"I'm sure." Was all the Doctor gave Donna in any way of an explanation, before grabbing her hand and pulling her into a run again.

This wasn't the first occasion the Doctor had done this either, once, he had sworn he had seen Rose somewhere, and had insisted on dragging Donna half way round a small planet, somewhere near… somewhere, chasing after a wisp of blond hair. A wisp that turned out to be one of the inhabitants, who had _not_ been pleased to find his pursuers a pair of sweaty, tired aliens (to him), who had followed him due to a strand of his hair. The inhabitants of this planet had rather a lot of hair, and tended to be a bit paranoid.

The Doctor had then apologised, leading a disgruntled Donna back to the TARDIS, where he just sat for four days, repeating the same words over and over again

"It's over… It's over…"

He was killing himself of thinking that she could come back, and Donna could see that, she could see how much he was hurting, but he never knew. He never knew that she knew. He had forgotten, how her one love had left her too. True, he had never loved her, and he was in fact a spineless, little insect, and Donna hated him for that, but he was still the man she was going to marry. The Doctor forgot that. He forgot how much Donna had lost.

"This way!" the Doctor shouted, suddenly, pulling Donna out of her memories and round a random corner, "Short cut," he said in answer to Donna's open, confused mouth.

Keep her running and stop her talking. That was the Doctor's plan. He knew he was being a bit unfair to Donna, after all, he promised her a break and a rest, so she was right to ask. And he knew that her points made sense, but he just didn't want to think about that right now. What if Rose _wasn't_ there? What then? Donna would be annoyed, especially after last time, and the Doctor didn't think he could cope with that kind of disappointment. Not again.

After all, the TARDIS had said 'Bad Wolf'. There was only one Bad Wolf the Doctor knew of, and he was currently running towards her with everything he had.

"Doctor, how can you be sure we're going the right way?" Donna's concerned voice cut into the Doctor's complicated thoughts,

"It's like this," the Doctor began, as he slowed down, ready to tell her. After all, he'd brought her this far, she deserved the truth, even if he wasn't to sure about it himself, "Basically, I can feel her. She's there, gnawing away at me. She's in my head, and I can feel her. Calling me. Pulling at me, closer and closer. I know she's here, because the TARDIS told me Bad Wolf, and I know that Rose is the only person who knows what the Bad Wolf is, apart from me. I can't tell you the whole story about that right now, because I had to concentrate on Rose, or I'll loose her. And I _can't_ loose her. Not again. Never again…"

The Doctor spoke faster and faster, eager to say out loud all the thoughts he'd kept inside for so long. He had never even realised how much he needed to speak them out loud before. Good Donna, brilliant Donna, she knew him better than he knew himself sometimes. He hoped she would stay with him, even once he found Rose. They would fight, at first, but he was sure that Rose's understanding, and Donna's willing to understand, they would be friends. Eventually.

He felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder as the Doctor sunk to the floor, fighting back the tears he had known were coming ever since he had first felt the pull of the TARDIS, alerting him of Rose. Donna crouched down beside him, and pulled him into a tight hug. She wasn't Rose, but she would always be there for him, and it gave the Doctor strength to go on. Knowing she would always be there. A friend. Just what the doctor ordered. No love. No passion. No annoying crush, or clingy boyfriends. Just a friend. One who would never, NEVER look at the Doctor in any way other than a friend. Thank God!


	5. Homesick

**Quite a long chappy this time! :D**

**I'm quite pleased with this one, but I'm not too sure about the end...? I was going to make it longer, but couldn't really think of anything else that would fit, it just started to get a bit rambly!**

**Lots of opinion, flashbacks and and a little voice in the background (or at least, that's what I was aiming for!)**

**Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed, as I said before, reviews are what keep me going (see last chapter!), and everyone's been fantastic!**

**Hope you enjoy! If you do, why not write me a lovely REVIEW and tell me what you enjoyed about it? And if you don't, why not write me a REVIEW and tell me how I can improve? Just REVIEW!! PLEASE!!**

* * *

Rose stopped. No point in running when you don't know where you're running to.

The screaming had completely ended now, replaced by the usual hustle of people going about their daily work, not a care in the world.

Rose frowned, screaming didn't just _go_. Especially when the Doctor was concerned! And there was no frightened people running for their lives. No hint remained that the ear-splitting screaming had ever existed.

_It wasn't the Doctor. It couldn't have been the Doctor. If it had been the Doctor, people would still be screaming! _

Rose slid down to sit on the cold, hard floor as these thoughts filled her head. How would she find the Doctor now?

Suddenly and unexpectedly, something tugged at her head. Something inside her was pulling at her mind, clawing to get her attention. Something small. Something that shouldn't be there.

Rose closed her eyes and concentrated, it was trying to tell her something. She could feel it's presence in her mind. Slowly, she let herself drift away, just concentrating on the voice in her head. Until she heard it.

_Rose…_

He was here.

Still with her eyes closed, Rose stood up and turned, keeping the voice at the front of her mind. She began to walk. Follow the voice.

_Rose…_

"I'm coming, Doctor, I'm coming…"

o0o0o

The Doctor opened his eyes slowly, painfully, at the feel of a hand, resting on his shoulder.

"Well done, Doctor," Donna's calming voice washed over him as the Doctor brought himself out of Rose's mind, and back to himself. He had called her, just like he called her all that time ago, so he could say goodbye. He just hoped she would come.

The Doctor was panting, he was so out of breath, but he didn't know why,

"Come on, Doctor, let's get you back to the TARDIS," Donna was pulling at his arm, eager to get the Doctor inside. He was so weak, and it frightened Donna, much more than any aliens or monsters.

"No." the Doctor replied, "She's coming. Here. It's where I told her to come." He was on his knees. When had he fallen onto his knees? He couldn't remember. And since when was he so tired? Going into Rose's mind shouldn't have weakened him like that, so what was it?

"She'll find us. She's cleaver, that Rose Tyler," Donna insisted, pulling the Doctor to his feet and slowly turning him towards the place they had parked the TARDIS.

"Yer, suppose…" the Doctor agreed, allowing Donna to steer him down the ally they were currently standing (or slumping, in the Doctor's case), and back to the TARDIS.

Rose would find them, and everything would be fine. Everything would be perfect again. The world would be bright.

o0o0o

Running.

_Bloody hell, Doctor, you better not make me run for a while after this!_

Rose was out of breath and sweaty again, but that wasn't going to stop her. She would find the Doctor if it was the last thing she did. After all, he had been in her mind, he had called her. It was too late to stop now.

If she had wanted to, Rose could've stopped the whole thing ages back. She had lost him about 3 times, and never had to come back. He had offered on more than one occasion to take her home, but she had never agreed. The TARDIS was her home now.

She knew, when the Doctor had asked her if she wanted to go home, that he didn't want her to go, he just wanted her to be happy. To be safe.

He had said that. That time when he sent her home. Emergency Program One.

_Have a fantastic life!_

But little did he realise, Rose needed him there in order to have a fantastic life. Nothing was FANTASTIC without the Doctor there. Showing it to her.

She turned yet another corner. Slowing herself as she felt the Doctor's words vanish from her head. She looked around, but he wasn't there. He should be there. Why wasn't he there?

Rose stopped, feeling her heart begin to race. She was so sure he was there. She felt a lump rise in her throat, and tears began to prick at her eyes.

Rose closed her eyes and took 10 deep, calming breaths, just like she used to when she was younger. She wouldn't cry. He was there somewhere. She knew it. All Rose had to do was find him. He wouldn't have left her.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked at her surroundings, it was just an ally, nothing special. No aliens lurking in the darkness, at least non that Rose could see.

She walked around a little, looking for something. Rose wasn't quite sure what she was looking for. Maybe something, anything, to give a tiny hint that the Doctor had been there.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rose noticed what she had been looking for. And it made her heart sick with worry.

She walked over to the small, long object and picked it up, feeling it's light, familiar weight in her hand, her fingers smoothing over its rough edges, stroking the buttons she had once found so comforting, but not today. Today seeing the Doctor's sonic screwdriver made her want to run away, never to look back. Cuz it was here and the Doctor wasn't.

The Doctor never went anywhere without his trusty screwdriver in one of his many oversized pockets, ready to be used to get him out of any kind of trouble he was faced with. So why was it there?

Rose scanned the ally again, looking for evidence of a fight, or some alien residue. But she couldn't see anything to support her idea, even with her highly trained eyes. There was nothing. No sign.

_Rose…_

o0o0o

Donna rushed around the TARDIS, looking for something, anything to help the Doctor.

When she had eventually heaved him through the TARDIS doors, he had rushed to his bedroom, falling onto his bed in a heavy exhaustion. He wasn't just tired though, it was something else. Going into Rose's mind had weaken him, somehow, and Donna didn't have to be a brain surgeon to tell that that wasn't supposed to happen. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong.

o0o0o

"_I… I love you" Rose's eyes filled with tears as she said the words the Doctor had longed to hear,_

"_Quite right too," he replied, 'quite right'? she had just told him she loved him for God's sake! And he was fast running out of time,_

" A_nd, I suppose… if it's my last chance to say it…" the Doctor stumbled over his words as he struggled to tell Rose what he really thought, what he needed to say,_

"…_Rose Tyler I…"_

The Doctor woke with a start. He didn't want to think about that. Not now. He had to concentrate. Had to focus.

He tried to sit up, but was greeted by strong hands, pushing him back down. A gentle voice whispered,

"Go back to sleep, Doctor, it'll all work out,"

_Poor Donna, _the Doctor thought to himself, not capable to speak the words out loud, _When this is over, I'll take her somewhere nice. She deserves that. _And with that thought firmly in his mind, he fell back into an uneasy sleep.

_Rose…_

o0o0o

There it was again, that voice, the Doctor in her head, telling her it would be okay. Only this time, Rose didn't quite believe him. Something was wrong. But what?

A fresh wave of fear flooded her body, pulling at her senses, tearing her apart, ripping at her soul. Rose felt her heart flutter again. And once again she closed her eyes, forcing her mind to think of something else.

"_I am the Bad Wolf, I create myself…"a wave of power and a bright light surrounded Rose as she said those words. Words that had changed the world._

_No._ Rose thought, furiously, _not that._ _Anything but that._ But still, Rose felt the power looming up on her again. The power she so often felt when near the TARDIS.

A sudden realisation washed over Rose as she felt the Bad Wolf pouring into her mind; the TARDIS was here, and she was trying to help.

Rose let her mind be carried away by the immense power of the Doctor's ship, and the strange connection she had with it. She felt her mind leave her body, to float down more allies, turn street corners, cross road, until it came to rest on the sight of a tall, blue box, standing in the middle of the town centre. In her mind, Rose smiled, before she felt an odd sensation as she was thrown back to her body, sending her falling to the ground when her legs wore out.

The TARDIS wasn't strong enough to have kept Rose there for any longer, which really didn't help Rose's very strong feeling that the Doctor was in trouble, and he needed her.

She stood up, only to find that her legs were like jelly and to come crashing down to the floor again. Where Rose lay, breathing deeply. She would need her strength.

Rose looked down at the object still resting in her hand, it was flashing and beeping slightly, and pulling at her hand, tugging upwards.

Taking the hint, Rose jumped to her feet, filled with a newfound energy. She turned and ran, following her memories the TARDIS had shown her, correcting herself slightly at even the tiniest pull of the sonic screwdriver she was gripping very tightly, but mostly following her heart, and the little key hanging around her neck, that seemed to get brighter with every step she took. Every step closer to the Doctor. Every step closer to home.


	6. A Good Cuppa Tea

**hello again! sorry about the time it took to update! i actually finished _early_ sat morning, but couldn't upload due to staying at a friends and the stupid laptop wouldn't connect to his internet. :-( -anyway, a lovely long chappy to make up for that, and the next one shouldn't be long behind as i have already got quite deep into writing it! :-)**

**i'm soooo happy the Rose is back now! :-D But David Tennant can't leave! :-O :-( (sorry, that only makes sence if you have watched s04e12, The Stolen Earth!)**

**Thanks again to everyone who's reviewed my story so far! as i have said numorus times before, you people are simply the best! please keep reviewing and hopefully keep enjoying, is all i can say to that!**

**don't forget to REVIEW after you read this!! reviews make me happy! :-D**

* * *

Rose reached out a shaking hand and laid it on the TARDIS's smooth, cooling surface, stroking the solid, blue wood. This was home. At last.

But something was wrong, Rose could feel a tightness in the TARDIS that shouldn't have been there, that had never been there before. The TARDIS was fighting something, she was clinging to existence, holding onto one last shred of hope and if she let go…

Rose shook the thought out of her head, the Doctor was fine. And so was the TARDIS and so was she. Everything would be fine.

The TARIDS buzzed slightly under Rose's gentle hand and Rose rested her head on the ships beautiful exterior, whispering,

"it's okay, old girl, it'll all be okay," but whether Rose was talking to the ship or herself, she wasn't sure.

As if on cue, Rose's key let out a small burst of heat, reminding Rose it was still there, and eager to be used again. Something that Rose happily responded to by pulling the chain it was attached to from around her neck, removing the key, and inserting it neatly into the little hole, letting out a breath of relief that she didn't even know she was holding as the key twisted with a heart achingly familiar 'click', opening the doors to a long-lost world for Rose.

.o0o0o

Donna bent double, smoothing the bow of the now feverish Doctor, praying to a God she had never really believed in that he would be okay.

She knew this shouldn't have happened. The Doctor should have been more than capable to slip into Rose's mind, especially when all he did was alert her to his presence.

Donna was beside herself with worry. And now the TARDIS was acting strangely too, as if Donna _needed_ to know that something was horribly wrong and there was nothing she could do about it!

Looking up from the Doctor's shaking body, Donna reached over to rinse the towel she had been cooling the Doctor with in a small bowl of cold water she had previously filled up from the kitchen. She whished she could do more than just mop at him, but there was nothing, _nothing _that she could think of to make the Doctor better. She just wasn't good enough.

.o0o0o

"Where's the Doctor, old girl?" Rose asked the control desk of the TARDIS, impatient to find him, and find out what was so terribly wrong.

The TARIDS buzzed under the irritating tapping of Rose's fingers.

"Sorry," Rose whispered, stopping her insane tapping, "I'm just worried, is all,"

The TARDIS hummed, quietly, as if to say,

_I know, I'm worried to._

Rose smiled when the door leading away from the control room swung open and the TARDIS hummed again, this time saying

_He's this way, I'll show you when you get there,"_

She uttered a word of thanks to the amazing ship, before hurrying through the door and along the corridor, pausing slightly at the weird sensation that the rooms behind each of the hundreds of doors where changing slightly. Rose knew that it was the TARDIS, making Rose's way to the Doctor as short as possible – she had done this millions of times before – but it was one of the many things she would never quite get used to, living with the Doctor, but, in all honestly, Rose didn't think it would ever be one of those things she would want to get used to, either. Things like that made life that bit more interesting!

.o0o0o

Rose frowned, surly the TARDIS was confused. Maybe the Doctor being ill was getting to her or something. The Doctor wouldn't be in the kitchen, would he?

"Are you sure?" Rose asked, causing the TARDIS to buzz impatiently, saying,

_Yes, Rose, I'm sure. Just go in!_

Rose sighed inwardly, she trusted this machine with her life, and had never known her to be wrong, but the kitchen seemed a little far fetched!

"Oh well," she sighed again, turning the handle and stepping into the kitchen, wondering slightly if it had changed much since she had been there.

It hadn't. At least not noticeably. And, surprise surprise, the Doctor wasn't there.

Rose was just about to turn and walk back into the long corridor of the TARDIS, and perhaps give her a little education on what '_Where is he?'_ really meant, when something let out a shrill whistle, making Rose jump about a foot in the air.

.o0o0o

Donna looked up from the Doctor's hot body when she heard a high-pitched whistle coming from somewhere deeper in the TARDIS. The noise was faint, however, and Donna put it down to the TARDIS's connection with the Doctor being messed up.

_Poor ship,_ she thought, _and poor Doctor, what has done to deserve this?_

.o0o0o

Rose picked up the now boiled kettle and looked at it. Strange, how a kettle boiling could make her so calm. The TARDIS seemed quieter now too.

Rose saw three mugs set out on the counter and she knew it wasn't coincidence. She knew what to do.

She bustled around the kitchen, re-familiarising herself with where everything was. Some of it had moved – the sugar, for example, had changed cupboards since she had been there, and Rose spent far too long looking for it, until she eventually found it sat next to a packet of chocolate biscuits, which she had helped herself to, after conformation with the TARDIS that that was okay.

Finally, Rose had prepared all three cups of tea – well, two, as she didn't know how the Doctor's new companion took hers (Rose presumed it would be a 'she') – and a plate of those chocolate biscuits, which Rose had found herself rather addicting to.

After one last look at the kitchen, and promising the TARDIS that she would tidy it all up when the Doctor was better, Rose bundled the cups of tea and the biscuits onto a tray and walked back into the corridor, confident that the next door she stopped at would be the one the Doctor was resting in.

.o0o0o

_Darkness. Oh, so much darkness._

_The Doctor walked down a long, dark corridor with a strong purpose in each step, a small light shone from a door at the end, and the Doctor was heading towards it. Nothing would stop him reaching it. Until the voice came. Rose's voice, screaming at him. Crying and hurting and it was all his fault, but all he could think of was the light. Get to the light. Everything would be okay if he only got out of this horrible darkness._

_And still Rose came down on him. She was just words but she may as well have been physically there as well, all the pain it was causing him. His head felt like lead as he tried to block out Rose's frantic yells and his legs turned to jelly as he began to run. He had to get away!_

_The scenery swam before the Doctor's eyes, before changing and showing him a familiar looking place. He saw the Beast's cavern, but he was looking from above. Down below him, he could see Rose's weakened form trying to work out what the pictures on the walls meant, trying to reason with the Beast, but it wasn't listening, and the pictures were obviously making no sense to her._

_Suddenly, Rose's shrill scream filled the cavern and she was dying. Her body began to decay, and she was still screaming._

"_No! No! No!" the Doctor's shouts merged into Rose's screams for help. It was too hard. He couldn't do this!_

"_Please! No!" the Doctor found himself screaming, trying to be heard over the horrific noises coming from Rose's burning from. Tears adorned his face, but he didn't care, anything to get away from this!_

_The image swam beneath him again, and the Doctor found himself alone in the darkness again. The tears continued to flood down his cheeks and he didn't raise a hand to stop them. _

"_Rose…"_

.o0o0o

"He's in here then? Defiantly?" Rose asked for about the third time, waiting outside a door that she recognised to lead to the Doctor's bedroom.

The TARDIS buzzed, annoyed that it was taking so long to get Rose inside,

"Okay! Okay, I just wanted to make sure!" Rose apologised, pushing the door open with her hip ever so slightly, so she could just peek inside and see the Doctor before going in.

The sight that greeted her wasn't a particularly nice one. The Doctor was lying in him bed, shaking and crying in his troubled sleep, occasionally muttering a few words that were too difficult to make out. A tallish, ginger woman was bent over him, too wrapped up in mopping his feverish brow to notice the blond standing in the door frame. Both had tears dripping off their faces, but the woman's was straining to keep them from falling without using her hands.

_Oh my God! Doctor!_ Rose thought, sorrow seeping out of her. But she wouldn't cry. She knew what to do now. She could fix this.

Opening the door further, Rose slipped into the room, placing the tray of tea on the side.

"Thought you could do with a cuppa," she whispered to the woman leaning over the Doctor, causing her to jump up and look at Rose with fear in her eyes.

"Who… Who are you?" she asked, nervously,

"My name is Rose," Rose replied, and at that moment, the Doctor let out a pained moan, making Donna and Rose bend over him, worried again.

.o0o0o

"Thought you could do with a cuppa," Donna nearly jumped out of her skin, as a young, blond woman lent over her and offered her a cup of tea. _Tea!_

Couldn't this girl think of anything better to do than make cups of tea?!

"Who… Who are you?" Donna asked once she had recovered from the shock of finding someone else in the TARDIS,

"My name is Rose," the woman had replied, Donna was about to ask more until the Doctor had made that noise. The noise of everything ending. It had turned both their attention to the Doctor in an instant, each other forgotten.

.o0o0o

Rose passed one of the steaming cups of tea to Donna, moving out of the way so she could get to the milk and sugar. Both women were terribly on edge, and the Doctor was still shaking uncontrollably.

Rose picked up her own, and took a long sip, letting the warmth wash over her. Tea really could make everything better. Or at least in her mind it could.

Donna finished adding the milk and sugar to her own tea, and followed Rose's lead, bringing the tea up to her lips. She prepared herself for the heat to be slightly off, Donna was very fussy about the temperature of her tea, but she found it perfect.

_God, that Rose woman doesn't half make a good cuppa tea,_ Donna found herself thinking, and being pleased about it. Rose was right. She could do with a cuppa.

Rose was sat next to the Doctor, worry creasing her brow. She had asked all the obvious questions when she had first come in,

"How is he?"

"When did this start?"

"Do you know why it happened?"

And so on, but all Donna wanted to know was if she could fix it.

"Please don't die Doctor, please. I came so far," Rose whispered into the Doctor's thick, brown hair, their tears mixing together on his pail face.

Rose reached around Donna then, her hands closing on one last cup of tea, made for the Doctor. Donna asked what she was doing, but all she got in reply was,

"Tea is amazing, Donna, someday, I'm sure it'll save the world!"

Rose slipped one of her shaking hand round the Doctor's tender head, cradling him so gently as she raised him from his pillows,

"Please, please let this work," Rose whispered, as she put the cup to his lips and let some of the hot liquid fall down his throat. Putting the cup back on the side, Rose turned her attention to the Doctor's head, still cradled in her arms.

Donna watched in amazement as the Doctor's shivering went down, and his face took on a more peaceful expression.

Both women let out a heavy sigh of relief, and Rose picked up the cup and slowly began to drip-feed the Doctor another sip, pausing only as she took a sip herself. She kept this up until there was no tea left in the cup, and Donna's was long empty.

Rose picked up her own cup, and took a sip, only to withdraw sharply when she discovered it had gone cold.

Rose murmured a few words to the ship, to quietly for Donna to hear, when the Doctor's body had almost completely stopped shaking.

"That's all I can do. It's up to him now," Rose said, turning her attention to Donna for the first time since picking up the Doctor's cup. She looked tired, Donna noticed, as Rose placed a gentle kiss on the Doctor's forehead, so tired.

"What'll happen now?" Donna asked,

"Well, we'll give him some time to wake up, the tea'll help him sort himself out, so, I guess, all we have to do now is wait."

"Worst part, that, the waiting," Donna said, hints of a smile on her face,

"Yer, but hopefully worth it," Rose said, actually smiling, but Donna pretended not to notice that it didn't reach her eyes.

Rose stood up, and picked up the empty cups of tea, placing them back on the tray, before walking out of the room, pausing at the door only to have one last look at the Doctor, and to beckon Donna out of the room. Donna followed Rose, closing the door quietly behind her.

"He'll be alright soon," Rose said. But whether she was talking to herself, Donna or the ship, neither knew.


	7. The Bad Wolf

**okay, well here's another chapter for all you lovely people! i was going to write much more in this one, but decided to leave you with a nice little cliffhanger instead! :P -Oh, what i won't do for reviews!**

**i'm not to sure about the name for this one?? it's saved on my computer as 'Now For The Waiting' but that only really works for the beginging. I might rename it 'Another Worry'?? What do you think??**

**mmm... i should probably stop watching the ending for The Stolen Earth now - it can't be good for me. damn you Russle T Davies! damn you! how could you possibly do this to your wonderful fans?!**

**you know the drill by now - thank you to everyone who has reviewed! this is for you!**

**don't forget to REVIEW this chapter as well, don't think you can get away with just reading it and not telling me what you think! **

**Please! Pretty please! Pretty please with a cherry on top!**

* * *

Donna and Rose sat at the control desk in the TARDIS, talking pleasantly about their adventures, but neither one was really concentrating, both kept returning their thoughts to the tall alien sleeping in the other room.

The TARDIS had moved the Doctor's bedroom as close as she could to the control room, so at any sign of trouble, Rose and Donna could be there with him in the shortest amount of time possible.

Rose was particularly on edge, not only with worry for the Doctor, although that was mostly it, but she was also unsure about Donna. The Doctor had said he would carry on. Alone. Rose was pleased he wasn't alone, it was just the thought of someone replacing her that she didn't like.

But Donna was alright, fun even. Rose could see why the Doctor had wanted to travel through time and space with her.

"mmm…" Rose responded to something Donna had said without really listening, Donna wasn't really thinking about what she was saying either, they were both too occupied worrying about the Doctor.

Rose said something, but couldn't for the life of her repeat it, and Donna replied with the accustomed "mmm…" It wasn't being rude, it was just that they wanted news of the Doctor. Rose was seriously regretting stating that they shouldn't disturb the Doctor, and was thinking about going back on it and disobeying her own rules.

Donna was wondering why she wasn't in there, with the Doctor, all on the orders of some young girl who suddenly knew a hell of a lot more than Donna herself knew, something that Donna was hesitant to admit.

So the TARDIS was mostly quiet, except for some snatched convocation randomly issuing from one of the two women sat at the control, as they tried, half heartedly, to take their minds of the man lying in the next room.

"Long time no see," Rose jumped about a foot in the air at the sound of the Doctor's familiar and oh-so longed for voice, as she looked up from her failed convocation and grinned at the man slumped in the doorframe. She got up from her place at the TARDIS controls and began to walk towards the weakened, but _so_ alive, man.

Rose's 100 WATT smile could only be matched by the 200 WATTs that were now spread across the Doctor's pail face. Picking up speed, Rose ran to the Doctor, only to be met half way and flung off her feet, being spun around the TARDIS as if they were the only two people left in the universe.

The Doctor buried his face in her hair, like he had longed to do ever since they were parted, and Rose responded by clutching him even closer to her. It seemed like they would never let each other go.

Donna watched with happiness as the Doctor and Rose flew around the control room. They truly deserved each other. So many times had the Doctor mentioned Rose's name in convocation, just casually putting her in, as though not mentioning her would cause his extinction.

Rose laughed with joy as she forgot everything and everyone, all that mattered was being close to the Doctor, and never letting him go ever again. She nestled her face into the Doctor's shoulder, breathing in his familiar smell, feeling his soft, brow hair brushing her cheek. This was what she had needed. This was where she belonged.

When the Doctor could keep Rose elevated no longer, he reluctantly placed her back onto the ground and pulled away from her slightly, but make no movement to remove his hands from her shivering arms. Pulling her close to him again, the Doctor whispered into her ear,

"So how are you?"

Rose couldn't reply to that, all the emotions she was going through at that moment, so she just shook her head and rested it on the Doctor's comfortable chest, listening to his double heartbeat. The most wonderful sound in the universe. In _any _universe.

Pulling her away from him, the Doctor held Rose at arms length, drinking her in. Her hair was slightly longer than he remembered it, and she had defiantly lost weight, but that didn't really matter to him. she was his Rose and she had come back to him.

Rose stood in the Doctor's tight grip as his eyes roamed over her, but she never moved her gaze from his beautiful eyes. She could see all the pain he had been through so clearly. She found herself blinking back tears as she saw what she'd lost mirrored in her Doctor's eyes.

The Doctor, noticing the tears beginning in Rose's eyes, pulled her to him again, holding her tightly, reassuring them both.

"It's okay, I've got you, it's okay," he whispered into Rose's soft hair, receiving a large sniff and hint of a smile against his jacket in return. But that was all he needed.

Donna coughed slightly, not wanting to be forgotten, but reluctant to break the spell that had fallen over these two wonderful people.

"Oh, sorry," the Doctor said, snapping his head up to look at Donna as if for the first time, "almost forgot,"

She _knew _it!

"Rose Tyler," the Doctor said, flashing her the biggest grin Donna had ever seen on his face, "meet Donna Noble! Donna, this is Rose,"

"We know, we met while you were sleeping," Rose giggled, laughing at the Doctor's priceless expression of upset at not being the one to introduce two of the most important women in existence – to him, anyway – to each other.

"But we can pretend we haven't met, if it'll make you feel better," Donna added, cheekily,

"Oooo! Would you?" the Doctor replied, his lopsided smile returning to his brightened face,

Rose laughed and walked up to Donna,

"Hello, Donna, pleased to meet you," she said, reaching out a hand,

"Hi, Rose, I've heard so much about you," Donna replied, mock seriously, taking Rose's outstretched hand in her own and shaking it firmly,

"Oooo, nice things, I hope?" Rose asked, flashing the Doctor another grin and a wink as she spoke,

"Always!" the Doctor replied, almost looking hurt, causing Rose to skip back over to him and wrap him in another bone crushing hug.

"aaa!" the Doctor shouted, suddenly, making Rose jump back from him, worry once again adorning her previously sun-rivalingly smiley face,

"What is it?" she asked, panic written all over her,

"It's nothing… aaa!" the Doctor yelled, doubling over, his tight grip on Rose's arm increasing to prevent him from falling onto the TARDIS floor,

"Doctor!" Rose shouted, trying to hold him upright, "What is it? What can I do?"

Donna rushed over to help Rose hold the Doctor's weakened form

"I need… I need… I need…" the Doctor managed to whisper between strangled gasps for air,

"Tea…" he blurted out, before falling out of Donna and Rose's arms and landing in ac rumpled heap on the floor.

Rose ran over to the control desk and grabbed one of the cups of tea she had made for herself and Donna while they were waiting for the Doctor to come out of his deep sleep. She rushed beck to the Doctor, unwilling to be long, and handed him the cup.

The Doctor tilted back his head and took a long gulp from it,

"Urg! Since when did you take so much sugar?" the Doctor asked after one sip, quickly withdrawing his hand. Last time he remembered, he and Rose took their tea exactly the same. 2 sugars and lots of milk.

Rose took the cup from the Doctor and looked at the interior,

"Sorry, that's Donna's," she replied, passing the cup to Donna, who was holding the Doctor's shaking head, and rushing to get her own.

She passed him the other cup, and sat on the floor next to him, waiting for the result.

The Doctor was practically lying on the floor now, despite Donna's feeble attempts to keep him upright as he drank thirstily from Rose's half-finished cup.

"Is he okay?" Donna asked Rose, as they both crouched by the Doctor's shaking form,

"I… I don't know" Rose whispered, between strangled sobs, "But there's nothing… nothing I can do… if he's not… then I'll…"

Rose looked at Donna, and was almost surprised to see the tears flowing freely down her face, where Rose was doing everything she could to keep hers inside. Locked away from everyone else. Be strong, because that's what they needed right now – someone to be strong, while the Doctor couldn't.

They looked strange, the TARDIS thought to herself, the ginger, the blond, and the Time Lord, lying on the metal grating of the floor, panting as though they had just run from the assembled hoards of Gengas Kahn.

.o0o0o

Later, after Rose and Donna had banished the Doctor back to his room in disgrace for worrying them like that, the two women sat on a beach, the TARDIS parked just behind them. They hadn't wanted to leave the TARDIS, but she had insisted that they get some fresh air.

Rose kicked off her shoes, and ran to the water's edge, chasing the waves – looking for the world just an innocent child with no worries. Ever. But Donna knew different. And so did anyone else who knew Rose. Behind those cheerful shrikes as the cold water washed over her shapely legs, this girl was hiding a thousand pains. Pains she should have no idea about at such a young age.

Donna lent against the TARDIS's strong frame, laughing at Rose's joyful profile, standing out amongst the waves and children, splashing at laughing. Little did the holidaying families know, that behind the four, small, blue walls Donna was currently sat with her back against, the man who had saved all of them at least once, was ill and possibly dying, while herself and Rose – the only two people with any hope of saving him – where lounging about on the beach. The _beach_ for God's sake!

.o0o0o

Rose splashed in the sea, laughing to hide the tears that were threatening to overwhelm her. Trust the TARDIS. Bad Wolf Bay was _so_ not a place she wanted to be right now.

_Very funny, old girl._ Rose thought, bitterly.

Donna looked relaxed, at least. And the Doctor would be okay. What was wrong with him?! How could he do this to her again?!

_I can't loose him again._ A tear finally escaped Rose's firm grasp and dropped into the sea with a quiet 'plop'. No-one would've noticed, no-one apart from Rose, whose heart was slowly breaking. Again.

_Bad Wolf…_ Rose felt the Doctor more than heard him, as he reached out for her mind. _…the Bad Wolf…_

.o0o0o

Donna looked up, startled to find Rose standing over her, a look of panic and relief spread across her face.

"I know what to do," was all she said, before disappearing into the TARIDS, leaving Donna stunned, and scrambling to get to her feet, following Rose inside.


	8. Fiddling With The TARDIS

**Long time no see! sorry about that! i was suffering from major writers block and too much homework syndromes! but i'm over that now, and i'm ready to rock and roll!**

**quite a long chapter, although not a lot happens. i'm quite proud of myself for adding a memory - word perfect! woop woop! **

**not too sure about the ending, though, i was just desperate to end with that line! (hopefully you will forgive me when you read it!)**

**REVIEWS!! omg! you amazing people have done it again! a HUGE thank you to everyone who has reviewed any of my previous chapters - in any story, come to think of it! it's so great to get all these incredible reviews, especially as i am making this up as i go along! (that stops from here now though, as i know what will happen (for once) - how long it takes me to get there, however, is another think entirely!)**

**please keep reviewing, and in return, i will keep writing! you know you want to! :P**

**enjoy!**

* * *

"Gently, Donna, gently!" Rose shouted, not unkindly, rushing to take hold of the cable Donna was trying to pull out from it's socket, "You just have to be… gentle." Rose finished, speaking softly, easing it out and attaching the end to a small hook so it didn't spring back into place the second Rose let go.

"Sorry," Donna whispered. Rose had explained to Donna how the TARDIS was alive, and Donna was very conscious of hurting her now,

"It's alright," Rose replied, a light tinkling laugher admitting from her, "the TARDIS is used to worse!" Rose's thoughts turned to the Doctor as she said this, a hyper man with a manic grin spread across his face, banging on switches and hitting the controls with a small, rubber mallet.

Rose looked up at Donna, and could tell by the look on her face that she was thinking of the same thing.

"Come-on then, lots more work to do!" Rose giggled, knocking Donna out of her thoughts. Rose handed Donna some more bits of cable, which Donna instantly began sorting through and placing on one of the many piles, slowly appearing on the floor in front of her.

Donna and Rose worked long into the day. They were mostly quiet, with only snatched convocation, conformation that what Donna was doing was _right_, and the occasional correction as to how to do little things,

"The little things are just as important, Donna," Rose never tired of reminding her, "Once, it was the smallest thing you could imagine that saved my life,"

A gentle hum issued from the TARDIS, growing louder and quieter depending on the Doctor's status – or that was at least what Donna presumed it was doing, due to the fact that every time even the quietest of noses came from the TARDIS, Rose's head snapped up as she listened closely to every note.

Between them, Donna and Rose worked quite well together, and fast too. Both seemingly engrossed in what they were doing, but occasionally sneaking glances towards the door, tense for any sign of trouble or turbulence from the Doctor.

.o0o0o

As the day progressed, the TARDIS control room became more and more messy, but Rose didn't show any signs of being finished. Donna didn't even know _exactly _what she was meant to be doing! All she had been told was;

"I know what's wrong with the Doctor, and the Bad Wolf… the Bad Wolf is calling…"

That, and a brief phrase "I'll explain later… I promise."

Despite this, Donna found herself warming to Rose, and she knew that she was someone she could trust.

Likewise, Rose decided that she quite liked Donna, after she had gotten over the fact that she had replaced her. Donna was cleaver, and sharp mouthed, and Rose knew that she would be able to keep the Doctor on his feet. But she wasn't unpleasant, in fact, Donna was great fun to be around, Rose could see how the Doctor could've easily travelled through time and space with her.

"…so, how d'you meet the Doctor?" Rose finally asked the inevitable question she had just been dying to ask ever since seeing the other, ginger woman, leaning over the Doctor.

"I just sorta… ended up in the TARDIS." Donna replied, "In my wedding dress too!" she added, laughing at the memory. Rose soon joined in, and, in no time at all, the women were giggling and spluttering as though they had known each other their whole lives!

"So, what about you?" Donna asked when the laughter had died down a bit, and they were getting back to their tasks. Donna really was curious, the Doctor had spoken of Rose so often, but he had never really gone into that much detail about her, he seemed to find it all much too painful.

"Oh, we just, kinda, bumped into each other. He blew up my job!" Rose answered with a small smile as memories of a mad man with huge ears and nose flooded into her head, "he was quite different then," she added after a little thought.

Donna nodded, watching Rose's face change as she spoke of the Doctor.

"Then the second time I met him, he turned up at my door, asked if I was made of plastic, tapped on my head, declared I was a 'bone head' and tried to walk away!" Rose said loosely, sending the girls into hysterics again.

"I hope you didn't let him get away with that!" Donna said, between hopeless fits of giggles,

"Well, obviously, after that I followed him around, and then travelled with him ever since," Rose replied, coming out of her laughter and fiddling with some more wires, "I saved his life that day…" she added, more to herself than Donna.

Hesitantly, Donna turned back to her own wires, wanting to hear more, but unwilling to push this girl, who had been through so much.

They worked in silence for a long time after that, only talking to ask if the other person would mind passing over this or that. Only moving to take another wire.

A steady hum began to issue from the TARDIS, and Rose sat bolt upright, listening intently to the sounds coming out of the mainframe. Donna was sure that the TARDIS was giving information on the Doctor, and would've given anything to understand what was being said. Rose could understand it, Donna knew, she could tell by the way her eyes flicked slightly, and she had a look of careful concentration on her face – a look Donna had so often seen on the Doctor's face when the TARDIS hummed, or occasionally buzzed, to him. A silent connection, shared only between a Time Lord and his TARDIS, and now Rose, but there was something about Rose's face that showed she shouldn't be able to understand the connection, that showed she was something different, something special. Rose was the exception.

Rose nodded once, relieved by the news she had just received. She wasn't sure when she had started to understand the TARDIS, but she was so grateful when she found all the hums, buzzes and tones of the TARDIS's amazing soundtrack.

"What did it say?" Donna asked, cautiously,

"Well…" Rose started, "Firstly, the ship is a _she _not an _it_. And secondly, she was just letting me know that the Doctor is fine, and has in fact just entered a dream..." She hated being so mean, it was just that she wasn't sure if she was ready to share this wonderful, new connection with anyone else yet, especially when it contained such intimate information,

"…about me…" Rose added, in practically a whisper. So quiet, Donna wasn't sure if she'd heard it, and Rose wasn't sure if Donna was meant to.

Donna nodded, unsure of what to reply to that, so she decided not to, instead busied herself again in the seemingly never-ending array of work.

The silence returned soon after that, neither knowing what quite to say. It went on for a long time, the only noise coming from the rustling of wires and other, various objects Rose had randomly decided would be useful to them.

Donna almost regretted saying anything now, but she wasn't sure why. There was just something about Rose now, that told Donna that she'd done something horribly wrong, but she wasn't quite sure what it was.

Rose fiddled with the wires on her lap, not really aware of what she was doing. Her thoughts were on the Doctor. Memories playing in her head – over and over again. Things she hadn't given a passing thought to for years resurfacing.

She suddenly came across a very vivid memory of the time she and the Doctor had come across Sarah-Jane Smith, well, this was very much like it, Rose found herself thinking. Rose was like Sarah-Jane, unwilling to let go of the past, but unsure about the future. Revaluating in seeing the Doctor again – a man she thought she had lost forever. Sore that there was a new girl on the seen, she knew it would happen, and Rose hated herself for not getting over it. Especially when she found herself liking Donna so much.

Donna was like Rose had been, although not attached to the Doctor in the same way, but the resemblance was still there, in her eyes. The wide-eyed approach to life, the look of seeing it all, but not quite done yet. Happy with her life. But at the same time, a look of hurt at being bettered. Rose couldn't help it, just like Sarah-Jane couldn't, all that time ago, in her eyes, she was here first, and Donna should accept it. As she had, but it was still hard to realise that the Doctor's past was back, clinging onto the present.

Of course, Donna didn't feel like that at all, she was so happy for the Doctor that the girl who had made his life so amazing was back. The woman who's name he couldn't say without breaking into a wide grin – that was soon replaced by a look of heartbrokenness, quickly covered by a mask of no-comment and a change of subject.

The Doctor had loved Rose. Anyone could see that. Anyone at all.

And Rose had loved the Doctor. It was plain in the way she moved. In her eyes, all the time, it was obvious what was running through her head.

Over time, Rose had began to think that she could cover her emotions well, but, no matter what she did, there was something about her – hiding, just behind her eyes – something that showed her loss. She was never quite settled, preferring to be on her feet, then be stuck behind a desk or at home all day, and she was constantly running everywhere she could get away with. It was obvious to anyone who had seen her in that parallel world, that she was suffering from something, that she was missing something, something important.

.o0o0o

"Suppose…" Donna's curious, quiet voice broke the silence surrounding the TARDIS, and straight into Rose's thoughts and painful memories.

"What?" Rose asked, looking up from the wire she was currently stripping,

"Huh?" Donna replied, putting down the sonic screwdriver she had been fiddling with,

"You said suppose," Rose said, simply, realising too late that this was going to be horribly familiar,

"Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry," Donna tried, almost ashamed of her idea,

"No, go on, you've got me interested now!"

"Well… I mean, I know we probably can't… but"

"We can't go back in time and warn the Doctor what's going to happen. We can't go forward in time to see if the Doctor's okay, and ask him what happened. No. Sorry. The reason for both being, that it would create a paradox, especially if him – past – saw me.

"Paradox. Not good." Rose butted in.

"Yer… I thought it'd be something like that…"

Rose took a sharp breath. A memory of her and the Doctor flashed into her head, drowning her.

Donna, noticing the Rose's face, realised that she would rather be alone for a while.

"I'll just… um… go and check on the Doctor…" Donna said, getting up.

Rose flashed her a grateful smile as Donna excused herself, and allowed to be washed away in a memory.

.o0o0o

_They were sitting in a room, on Platform One –known to the human race then as the Game Station – the floor was covered in wires. The Doctor and Rose were the only people in the room. They sat opposite each other, a further pile of wires lay between them. The Dalek fleet was fast approaching, and Rose and the Doctor were busy creating a Delta Wave, ready to knock them out of the sky and out of existence._

"_Suppose…" Rose had said, but left unfinished as she realised that it was a pointless idea._

"_What?" The Doctor had asked, curious as ever._

"_Nothing" she replied, wishing she had never said anything now,_

"_You said 'suppose'" _

"_Na, I was just thinking… I mean, obviously you can't… But… You got a time machine, why can't you just go back to last week and warn them?"_

"_Soon as the TARDIS lands in that second we become part of events. Stuck in the timeline." The Doctor had answered, just like a giant, living encyclopaedia._

"_Yer… thought it'd be something like that," Rose said, focusing on the wire she was holding in front of her._

_After that, the Doctor had offered to fly them away. Somewhere safe. 'Let history take it's course', but of course, Rose hadn't let him, and she knew that he wouldn't anyway. He wouldn't let the Daleks win, but he would have taken her away first. If she had wanted._

.o0o0o

Donna sat next to the Doctor, holding his hand in hers. Listening to his steady, altogether-too-quiet heartbeats.

She hoped he would be alright. She didn't know what she'd do if he died. Die too, probably, unable to do anything else.

But it was Rose she feared for most. Such a broken woman, and so young. Too young. Donna knew, if the Doctor died, Rose wouldn't be able to cope. She knew it would be hell for herself, but for Rose… for Rose it would be too much.

_Poor Rose. Poor Doctor._

Donna thought to herself,

_Doctor, how could you be so selfish?! She's come back, after all this time, and you just lie there, worrying us too death!_

She knew she was being unfair, thinking that about the Doctor, the man who had shown her so much, but she couldn't help but resent him at that moment. For herself, and for Rose, who's heart was slowly breaking. Again.

.o0o0o

A small beep began to issue from the TARDIS mainframe. Starting quietly, but getting so much louder, so quickly.

Rose looked up from her work, and practically flew to the small screen, resting on the control panel, like it always had.

Rose's eyes quickly scanned the screen, trying to make the Gallifreyan words and symbols that were flashing up make sense.

_Please TARDIS, just this once, translate it for me. Just change it too English. Just this once. Please!_

Rose thought, ferociously directing her thoughts to the TARDIS, using the scrap of connection she had with the fantastic machine to ask, to _beg_, to be able to understand.

"Please…" she whispered, tears staining her face as she tried to make sense of the things scribbled across the screen Rose had come to trust with her life.

Suddenly, the symbols made sense. They weren't translated, she could still see them as perfect Gallifreyan, but she could read them.

Rose blinked, rubbed her eyes, then blinked some more, making sure that what she was seeing wasn't all in her head. No, it was true. She could read it. The TARDIS hadn't translated anything for Rose, she had merely unlocked the power Rose had always had. She had unlocked the understanding.

"Yes…" Rose whispered, "It's says yes…" she stopped for a moment, letting her new-found knowledge sink in.

"I can do it." She breathed, as she realised what the words she could now understand were telling her.

"It says yes!" she shouted, running out of the control room to find Donna. Rose had some explaining to do.

.o0o0o

Donna woke with a start. She wasn't sure when she had fallen asleep, but she defiantly had.

"Doctor…" she breathed, taking in his troubled face and sleeping form.

The door burst open then, revealing a breathless Rose standing in the doorframe,

"Donna…" she panted, "…It's ready"


	9. Explanations

**hello everyone! yes, i am still alive, in case you were wondering! :P**

**so sorry about the delay, firstly i had yet ANOTHER case of witers block. it was horrible! - i knew what i wanted to say, but i just couldn't get it into contex! aaaaa!  
secondly, my internet on my laptop broke! :O and i nearly died! so i have spent practicaly all week trying to get it onto my computer (which is still - luckily - working and connceted to this wonderful thing known as an internet!**

**sorry, this chapter is quite short, but i think it says a lot. well, Rose does at least! i wrote it to basicly fill up the gaps (well, some of them anyway!)**

**i think, in the end, this chapter was alright, but please REVIEW, and tell me what you think! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!! PLEASE!!**

**anyway, hopefully the next chpater wll be along shortly, but i'm making no promises.**

**enjoy! (and if you do, why not write a REVIEW. also, if you don't, why not write a REVIEW. either way, please write a REVIEW!)**

* * *

"What is it? What did you do?" Donna asked, flying down the TARDIS after Rose,

"I just… I dunno! It just, sorta, made sense, like, everything I've been doing up to this moment has suddenly clicked, and I only have one, last part of the puzzle to slot into place, and then it'll be ready," Rose replied, almost disappearing round the corner, as she whizzed towards the control room, now covered in drawings, wires, scribbled notes and various other objects.

Pulling the door open, Rose practically jumped into the main room of the TARDIS, closely followed by an out-of-breath, but very excited, Donna.

With only a seconds hesitation, Rose was at the controls, flicking leavers, pulling strings, pressing buttons. Donna was filled with a memory of the Doctor, looking very similar as he ran round the TARDIS, setting them off on another adventure to God-knows-where, but she pushed it to the back of her head. Now wasn't the time for memories. Now was time for the present.

"Right, now then Donna, hold this down for me…" Rose pointed to one of the millions of buttons on the TARDIS desk, "…And this too…" And then she was off again, running like a madman, "Okay, release the first one, and pull this down… SLOWLY!" she indicated to a small leaver, just to the right of Donna's already stretched arm.

Rose jumped back to Donna, and, sensing the trouble she was in to reach, pressed down on her left hand, whispering in her ear "I've got this one."

She held Donna's button down for 10 seconds, before flying off again, flicking switch after switch, pulling leaver after leaver, pressing button after button, before she finally came to a rest, standing just over Donna's right shoulder. "You can let go of that one now," she murmured from somewhere behind Donna's ear.

Donna turned round, just in time to see a worried frown adorn Rose's face as she looked at the screen, but that frown was quickly hidden behind a huge grin, and a wave of her hand, beckoning Donna to come and sit with her on the floor.

"So… What d'you wanna know first?" she asked, slightly out of breath after that running episode.

"Um… For starters… What are we actually doing here?" Donna stuttered out. Rose had never really made it very clear as to what they were doing, she had simply given Donna instructions, and told her to get on with whatever it was that she was meant to be doing.

"Well, basically, this all comes back to the Bad Wolf, and that…"

"But what _is_ the Bad Wolf?" Donna interrupted,

"I was getting there!" Rose insisted, slightly agitated by Donna's interruption. In reality, she was planning to avoid going into any huge details about the Bad Wolf, but if she was going to do that again, then Donna had a right to know. Rose took a deep breath before continuing. "Donna, the Bad Wolf is deep and complicated, if you wanna understand it, you are gunna have to know the full story. And I'm gunna have to work out where to start!" She ended, with a poor attempt at a laugh, instead finding herself with a small, sad smile on her face.

Rose thought for a moment before continuing, "I suppose it started on Satellite Five, but known to the human race then as the Game Station, 1,000 channels all bursting out game shows all day and all night, for the entire human race to watch. And they had to watch them, cuz the air was toxin, and there was nothing else to watch. It was horrible. But the Doctor and I, we realised what was going on. We found out who was in charge of the Game Station, and with it, the human race.

"What we found was worse, much worse than every single human watching telly all day. We found the Daleks. And the Emperor of the Daleks." Rose paused for a moment, allowing her words to sink in. Donna's face was unreadable, but Rose supposed that she just wanted to get to the part where she finds out where the Bad Wolf comes in. _Well_, she thought, _she'll just have to wait._ Because a lot of it didn't make sense unless you know how they got there.

"But it was alright, cuz me and the Doctor… and Jack…. We found a way… We found a way of stopping them." Donna looked up, her face still unreadable, but a little amount of pity shone through her eyes. Pity for Rose, for her disability to get through this without stumbling, for her obvious love of the Doctor, and for so many different reasons that even she could never place. Rose looked back at Donna before continuing with her explanation. "You see, the Doctor worked out that he could make this… um… this…_ Delta Wave_, and with it, wipe out the Dalek race. But he miscalculated, he didn't realise how much area the transmitter would cover. He worked out that it would destroy all of us on board as well as the Daleks… and the humans, although he never told me that it would destroy the Earth." Rose's voice wavered, and she closed her eyes for a moment before carrying on, "Um, yer, so, he tricked me. He tricked me into going in the TARDIS, and then he sent me home. An Emergency Program One started up, telling me to have a 'fantastic life', but I knew, from that moment, that nothing could possibly be 'fantastic' without him there." Tears began to leak, ever so slightly, out of the corners of Rose's eyes, but still, Donna stared on, lost in her own thoughts. Rose wondered for a moment if what she was saying was being lost on Donna, but something told her that Donna was listening better than Rose herself.

"Anyway, he sent me home. But I never really was one for staying at home, and I did it. I worked out a way to get myself back.

"Donna Noble, I looked into the heart of the TARDIS, and absorbed the Time Vortex. That's what the Bad Wolf is. It's me." Rose finished, simply. Alright, maybe she could've just told Donna that the Bad Wolf was her, but then Donna wouldn't have understood. She wouldn't have understood the complexity of the situation.

"I absorbed the Time Vortex because I knew, somehow, that the Doctor would die if I didn't get back to him. If I didn't save him." Forgotten tears returned to Rose's eyes with a vengeance as she ended with, "So I did it. I saved him. But at a cost. The Time Vortex was killing me, there was just… to much knowledge for my mind to hold, so the Doctor, he took it out of me. Don't ask how, he never said. But her did. I saved him that day, and in return, he saved me. But it killed him. He had to regenerate, because no-one can ever hold the entire Time Vortex. So he changed, every single cell. But it was still him. Even though it took me a while to realise that." Rose bowed her head slightly, hiding her eyes, "I am the Bad Wolf. And now I must be again," she whispered, slowly getting back to her feet. "Understand?"

"Yes… No… I don't know." Donna said, following Rose back to the TARDIS computer-like screen, "I get how you're the Bad Wolf, yeah, and I get the whole 'Time Vortex kills' idea. But what I don't understand, is what we're going to do now?"

Rose looked at Donna, regret clear in her eyes, "Donna, I'm gunna have to do it again. Be the Bad Wolf, to save the Doctor."

"But… won't that kill you?" Donna asked, full of concern.

Rose merely laughed, nodding sadly. "It's possible. But it's a risk I'm gunna have to take. For the good of the Doctor."

Donna closed her eyes. Didn't Rose _know_, if she died, then the Doctor would probably die. He needed to know Rose was alive and safe, or that would be the end of him. That thought was all that had kept him going for the past years, and Donna was the only person who knew that. Just how much Rose Tyler meant to him. She was his life, his reason for fighting. If the Time Vortex destroyed her, then there would be nothing left for him. And Donna knew that.

"Rose… she whispered, placing a hand on her arm. Rose tensed slightly, but looked up into concerned eyes.

Donna never got to finish her sentence, however, when a loud beeping filled their ears, and Rose jumped away from Donna, rocketing round the TARDIS, before finally coming to rest by the screen.

She looked at the Gallifreyan words and symbols that she now understood so well, and buried her face in her hands.

"Is that bad?" Donna asked, suddenly very alert, "Okay it's bad… How bad is it?"

Rose just sat there, staring at her hands. Eventually, after what seemed like forever, she looked up at Donna, sorrow pouring out of her.

"Yer, it's bad," she said, a sad, regret-filled smile appearing on her face,

"What is it?" Donna asked, noticing how suddenly Rose's expression changed from one filled with so much hope, to one that said, very loudly and clearly 'I'm sorry'.

"It says… If I do this… Then I could… Then I might…" Rose tried, but she just couldn't find the words.

"Donna Noble, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. But I might kill you."


	10. Decision Time

**okay, sorry about the delay...again. on the plus side, the next and final chapter will be up in next to no time - cuz i've nearly finished it!**

**thank you so much for your reviews!! you lot have really kept me going with this story!! please keep reviewing for this chapter and the next and then i will ask no more of you for this story!!**

**a really big thank you to **totally.doctor.who** for reviewing every chapter of every story i have written so far in just a few short days! and here is your bucket...that i pinched the idea of! thanks for that too!**

**quite a long chappy this time! i thought you deserved a longer update! especially after the shortness of the last one, and the fact that i have just uploaded a REALLY long chapter to my other story - Moving On.**

**one more thing before i let you go. i just wanna thank **Happy loving Heroes **for pointing this out to me. the word _convocation_ in fact means a church assembly to mass, the word i was looking for in previous chapters is in fact spelt _conersation_. so sorry about that! i hope it didn't cause too bigger confusion, and that you still understood what i meant! like i have meantioned before (i think) i am not good at spellings, and if anyone notices a mistake in my work please drop me a review to let me know, and i will try to change it!**

**right then. enough rambling. i'll let you continue with the story now. anyone who read all that - this chapter is dedicated to you! don't forget to drop me a REVIEW when you're done!!**

* * *

"You'll _what_?!" Donna, exclaimed, shouting the thoughts running through both heads. Rose looked up at her with unseeing eyes.

"But how…why…_what_?!" she raved, trying to understand, while still Rose looked on.

While Donna rambled, Rose just sat there, not really listening. She had stopped concentrating when the symbols had revealed themselves to tell her that by saving the Doctor, she was putting both Donna's and her own lives at risk.

Rose suddenly stood up, surprising Donna into closing her mouth for a minuet – just long enough for Rose to walk out the control room, leaving Donna to her thoughts.

.o0o0o

Rose fell into the chair next to the Doctor's still body, resting her head on the draws, she let the tears she had been holding back for so long fall down her beautiful face.

"Oh, Doctor! What am I going to do?!" she sobbed, calmed and unsettled at the same time by the Doctor's silence.

The gentle rise and fall of his chest, and the quietness that was issuing from the old Time Lord made Rose feel oddly calm. Yet at the same time, his lack of speech and movement worried her sick. She was so confused, and to make matters worse, she didn't know what to do!

"Doctor, _help me_!" she whispered, leaning into his ear like she had done all that time ago, just after he regenerated.

Suddenly, he sat bolt upright, causing Rose to jump off him, startled.

His empty eyes flickered slightly, not focusing on anything. He appeared to be looking for something, something he couldn't see.

Finally his eyes came to rest on Rose. He looked at her for a moment, before doubling up with pain. When he looked up again, he spoke to her, in rushed, strained tones.

"Rose… Rose?…" he breathed, his eyes searching again.

"I'm here, Doctor, it's me. I've got you." She replied, slipping her hand inside his and giving it a gentle squeeze, letting him know she was there.

"Can't talk… Don't have long… Got to tell you… You've got to know… Arg!" his face twisted with pain as the Doctor doubled over again. When he looked up, his voice was filled with more urgency, more desperation, "Rose, the Bad Wolf… It's you… Which means… Arg!… You can fight it… You can control it…" his words were coming out between strangled breaths. Suddenly, he looked over her shoulder, seeing something she could not, "No! Not yet! Give me a few more seconds!" he pleaded. Anxious, Rose looked behind her, trying to see what the Doctor was addressing, but there was no-one.

"Rose… Rose, listen…" his grip on her hand tightened, "You can do it… You won't kill… You know what to do…" Rose opened her mouth to argue, _But I _don't_! I don't know what to do! I _need_ you!_ But before she could say anything, the Doctor interrupted, "You know… When the time comes… You will know…" his eyes began to close, "I trust you…"

"But, Doctor, what's wrong? How can I help you if I don't even know what I'm helping?!" she begged, pleading with him to stay with her. His face contorted with pain as the Doctor tried to stay awake to answer Rose's question.

"When you… the Bad Wolf… Now defences… Too high… Couldn't get to mind… Had to see you…" his voice started fading, "You can do it… Good luck…" and with that, the Doctor's eyes closed and his hand slipped from hers. Rose closed her eyes, and allowed a few escaped tears to slide down her face, landing with a 'plop' like sound on the Doctor's slightly shaking head.

Rose took a deep breath, pulling herself together. She slowly bent her head and placed a small kiss on the Doctor's forehead, whispering as she came back up, "I'll save you, Doctor."

She couldn't help but notice how he seemed to still as her lips touched his hot brow. The way his breathing regulated, and he stopped shivering quite so much. Rose felt her heart nearly melt with this simple act, and would've quite happily sat there for hours, just watching him sleep.

But there were other things to do. She couldn't simply _sit_ all day. She had to save the Doctor, and with him, save herself… Without hurting Donna, or burning out her head.

Yes. This was turning out to be a long day.

.o0o0o

"Donna, that bar there, turn everything a quarter turn to the left!" Rose shouted as she came crashing through the doors.

Without thinking about it, Donna rushed to the part of the TARDIS Rose had indicated to, and immediately got to work twisting all the complicated controls lying out in front of her.

"What does that do?" Donna asked, stepping back from the desk.

"No idea!" Rose shouted, fiddling with some further switches on the other side of the control desk, "Sorta thing the Doctor would say!" she twisted away from the desk as she flicked another switch, if Rose had been wearing a long, brow overcoat at that moment, she would've almost looked like the very man she had just referred to, "Ha!" she shouted, throwing back her head and laughing madly.

"Now, it was the Bad Wolf that got us into this mess and it'll be the Bad Wolf that gets us out of it!" Rose declared, working out so many things in her head at once, it was a wonder there wasn't smoke issuing from her ears!

"But I thought you said _you_ were the Bad Wolf?" Donna asked, struggling to keep up with Rose's complicated thoughts and random sayings.

"I am. And that means… I can control it." Rose said, quickly trying to make Donna understand. At the look of her blank face, however, Rose realised she was going to have to be a whole lot clearer whilst explaining something she didn't properly understand.

"Um… Basically, when the Doctor accessed my mind to tell me where he was, part of me was still connected to the Bad Wolf and it brought up my brain defences… um…" Rose paused, trying to work out what she was trying to say, but Donna interrupted.

"Which means…?"

"Um… it means that…um…well, I _think_ it means that, when the Doctor went into my mind, the Bad Wolf tried to protect me, and did something to his head…"

"But what can you do?"

"Um… well, I was gunna absorb the time vortex again, giving me full access to the Bad Wolf. Then I was gunna go into the Doctor's mind, and fix whatever the Bad Wolf did in the first place…" Rose explained. She didn't know if she was making much sense in the first place, as she was working it out as she said it.

"So where does killing me come into this grand scheme of yours then?" Donna asked.

_God, if she doesn't stop asking these questions, I might not even _try_ to stop the Bad Wolf!_ Rose thought to herself, even though she knew she was lying. She would never hurt anyone, let alone Donna. It was such a pointless thing to think, but she really was getting on Rose's nerves now.

"Well… um… the Bad Wolf is strong, and it might be difficult to control. There is a possibility that it will get out of hand and hurt you… I don't know how, before you ask… but if it does, then it'll burn my mind as well… and the Doctor's, if I'm still in it."

Donna said nothing, her brain hurriedly trying to process the information Rose had just given her.

"Right…" she eventually got out, but Rose had already moved on, and was once again buried in controls and wires and all sorts of various objects that Donna could never hope to know the names of.

"Donna, come and help me with this!" Rose's voice seemed to echo in the emptiness that filled the TARDIS without the Doctor's loud presence. Pleased for the distraction, Donna rushed over to Rose's side, to be greeted with a huge bundle of wires and a couple of the unnamed objects.

With only a brief description of what she was required to do, Donna was left to get on with things. Meanwhile, Rose was franticly rushing around, trying to sort out the TARDIS – although, _why_ and exactly _what_ Rose was doing, was completely beyond Donna, and she had no intentions of interrupting.

.o0o0o

They worked in silence for a long time, and Rose found herself preferring that to the distracting babble of conversation.

She had been back to the Doctor's side a number of times throughout the day, but he hadn't woken or spoke to her since the earlier incident. His words still filled her mind, however. Every time she closed her eyes, or thought of him, Rose could hear him speaking clearly in her mind, _I trust you._ And he did. She _knew _that. But still, Rose couldn't shake the feeling that she didn't deserve his trust. After all, what could she do? It was her fault any of this happened in the first place!

So, Rose busied herself in her task – making the TARDIS strong enough to hold the Bad Wolf. Strong enough to stop her… hopefully.

.o0o0o

Eventually, after what seemed like forever, Rose whispered the words Donna had been longing to hear ever since the Doctor went under and Rose had been trying to help. Words that she had began to fear she would never hear.

"It's ready."

Instantly, Donna was up and by Rose's side. She looked at the young woman and was almost surprised to see fear in her eyes.

"Rose… are you okay?" Donna asked, quietly.

Rose sniffed, and raised her eyes to the sky, summoning up a strength Donna had already seen wasn't there, "I'm fine."

It was then, that Donna knew Rose really wasn't fine at all. Simply because, that was what the Doctor said, whenever Donna noticed him with his barriers down. Whenever he let his emotions slip, whenever he wasn't fine, he would always cover it up. _I'm fine_, he'd insist, but Donna knew that he wasn't. She wished he would talk to her. She could help him if he let her in, she was sure of it. But he'd never let her in. The Doctor never let anyone in. It was just his way. Be strong cuz that's what he thinks they all need.

He let Rose in, once. Something Donna would never know. Sometimes, when she could, she would get to him, talk to him. She was one of the only, very, _very_ few people who could do that.

"_Fine._" Rose repeated, but whether for Donna's benefit or her own…

Donna gave Rose what she hoped was a sympathetic smile, before turning back to the TARDIS.

"Well…I suppose I'd better…I'll just go say goodbye…" Rose turned and began to make her way over to the Doctor's room before Donna stopped him with the inevitable

"_What?!_" Slowly, but without hesitation, Rose turned back to face Donna, she knew that this moment would have to come, but she would much rather it could've waited for a bit longer, "What do you mean, _'goodbye'_?"

Rose took a deep breath before answering, _this is gunna be tough_, she thought briefly, "Um… There _is_ a possibility, that the Bad Wolf will burn out my head…"

"WHAT?!" Donna interrupted, "Wait…how high is the possibility that that will happen?"

"Well…Quite high, actually…" Rose whispered, but she quickly continued in her normal voice before Donna could respond with her increasingly common _"What?!"_, something that Rose was sure she must've got from the Doctor, but she may have been like that before – it was hard to be certain, "But you should be fine…"

"_Should?"_ Rose ignored the latest comment from the gob-smacked Donna Noble,

"Last time I did this… I absorbed the time vortex… The Doctor said that he took it out of me… but this time he can't… this time it'll stay, and it'll be up to me to get it out…and if I don't…"

"It'll burn you." Donna finished where Rose could not.

"Yeah…" Rose whispered, and nodded her head towards the door, "So I suppose I'd better…" She trailed off, unable to continue. Again.

Donna nodded, allowing Rose to walk out in search of her Doctor's room.

_Poor Rose, _Donna thought, _there's got to be something I can do!_

At that moment, an idea struck her and she rushed into the corridor after Rose, but disappeared into a different room, eager to put her idea into use.

.o0o0o

_Darkness. All around him. Darkness. Filling him up. In his ears, up his noise, in his mouth. Everywhere. There was nothing else. Nothing. Only darkness._

_Until…_

"Me again…"

"_Rose…" he whispered, her wonderful voice cutting into his silent dreams._

_She was talking to him, quietly, but talking nonetheless. He could feel a small, tight grip on his hand, but could not return her grasp. He desperately tried to listen, but something was stopping him from focusing on her words. He tried to give her hand a comforting squeeze, but it was like his body was no longer listening to his mind._

"_ROSE!" he shouted, but his voice only echoed in his mind, not even leaving his lips, which had frozen._

"_Rose!" he tried again, quieter this time, so wanting her to hear him. He needed to tell her… it will be okay…_

"_Rose…"_

.o0o0o

"Me again…" Rose whispered, closing the door quietly behind her. She hovered at the door, just marvelling at the Doctor's stillness,

"So how are you?" She smiled as the words left her mouth, knowing that the Doctor couldn't answer her, even if he _could_ hear her.

Still smiling, Rose walked over to the Doctor. Sitting on the chair next to his bed, Rose slipped her hand into his. A single tear escaped from her eye, but her smile only faltered for a second before it was back. There was no point in crying, she didn't fear death. She wasn't happy, but she wasn't particularly sad either, and for some reason wanted to put on a brave face, even though she knew the Doctor couldn't see her.

"I suppose… this is goodbye then," she whispered, her grip on the Doctor's hand increasing only slightly, "But that's fine… that's okay. Maybe it's time," Rose's smile changed to one of sorrow, but there was still an element of acceptance and peacefulness in it.

"We never went to Barcelona, did we?" she laughed, "All the things we said we'd do…" Rose lost herself in her thoughts for a moment, but regained herself quickly, bringing herself back to the now.

"Have a good life, yeah Doctor? Have a good life for me." Her smile brightened ever so slightly, but at the same time, decreased, as she thought about the Doctor, happy and alive. "I wish I could be in it… but we both know that's not gunna happen. I'm gunna be burn out, saving you… and that's the way it was always gunna be. If I have to go, then I want it to be for you. You're more important than me, and don't you go saying otherwise!" She laughed, hearing the Doctor in her head, insisting that everyone's important. But she knew that wasn't true. Not entirely. The Doctor was the most important. He saved them all more times than anyone could ever imagine. Without him… well, it doesn't bare thinking about.

Rose let another tear escape her as she thought about the life she could have had. A life she _should_ have had. With him. With her Doctor.

"I…" she started, but lost herself with a small smile. She couldn't finish that sentence. Anyhow, he knew.

Rose left the smile on her face, and bent down to leave a lingering kiss on the Doctor's forehead.

She frowned and sat up quickly, much more quickly than she was going to. The reason being that a sudden, loud scream filled her ears, coming closer.

"What the…" but before she could finish, she was interrupted by the door being thrown open, revealing a slightly breathless Donna Noble, holding a large bucket.

She opened her mouth and screamed again, running towards the Doctor. Stopping just short of him, she threw the entire content on his still body.

Rose's mouth opened and her eyes widened in shock, horror and just a hint of amusement at the strange thing she had just witnessed.

Donna looked at the Doctor with a triumphant smile, as he slowly raised both hands to his face, brushing off the excess water, once he had recovered from the shock of suddenly getting a large bucket of icy water poured over him. His eyes stayed closed tightly. Slowly, he shook his head, sprinkling the bed, and Rose, with tiny drops of freezing cold water.

Donna's smile faded, however, when the Doctor brought his arms back to his sides, and began shaking slightly. Rose brought her hand carefully to his head, but withdrew it quickly, unable to cope with the increasing heat issuing from the Doctor's boiling skin.

Rose looked up at Donna, before returning her gaze to the Time Lord's feverish body. Making up her mind in a brief second, Rose turned and fled from the room, setting the door flying in the process.

.o0o0o

Donna rushed into the control room just seconds after Rose, but she was already at the other side of the room, one hand on a leaver and a blank expression on her face.

When Donna ran into the room, Rose snapped her head up, facing her, but her eyes were looking through her somehow. Looking at, but not seeing, the ginger woman standing in the doorframe, trying to catch her breath after running from the Doctor's room to the control room after Rose.

"I'll save you…" Rose whispered, and Donna knew that she was talking to the Doctor, not to her.

In one swift movement, Rose pulled the leaver down and the section of the TARDIS control that she was standing by flew open, revealing a stunning golden light.

"Donna don't look!" Rose shouted, suddenly seeing the danger Donna was in by standing so close to the heart, "Whatever you do don't look!"

Donna didn't need telling twice, and quickly looked away from the brilliant light, bringing up her hand to shield her eyes. However, she didn't look away completely, unwilling to let the fragile-looking form of Rose Tyler from her sight, just in case she needed her.

Once checking that Donna was okay, and properly shielded, Rose slowly moved around to get into a better position to look into the TARDIS. She was ever-so-slightly worried for Donna, after all, last time she looked into the TARDIS, Rose had been alone, and she wasn't sure about the effect it would have on a bystander.

All these thoughts were forgotten, though, as Rose felt her head fill with the time vortex.

Soon she could see nothing but the golden light, shimmering and flowing around her. Her only thought was the time vortex, slowly revealing itself to her. She could feel the oddly familiar pressure on her mind from the whole of time and space. Slowly, memories came back to her. The last time she absorbed the vortex, the memories had been erased from her head, but now the TARDIS could not stop her from remembering.

_Everything dies. All this. Everything must come to dust. The Time War ends._

Rose would've stumbled, would've stopped, but she could not stop the vortex from pouring into her. Not now. She was too strong, and there was too much at stake.

She knew it would hurt her, may burn her, if she stopped now. Besides, the Doctor needed her. She _had_ to keep going. For him.

Finally it stopped. And Rose could feel the time vortex running through her mind. Could see the power flowing through her hands. She could do it. She could save them all. She could stop the hurting. She could bring back the Doctor's family. She could change it so she never fell into the void. She could do it all.

_No! It's not meant to be like that! Everything that happens, happens for a reason._

It almost sounded like the Doctor's voice, talking to her in her head, stopping her before she tried. Before she hurt herself. Before she burnt.

"Rose…?" Donna's scared, timid voice broke into Rose's thoughts.

Rose looked up, her golden eyes burning into Donna's own blue ones.

"I can see," Rose whispered, allowing herself complete access to the Wolf, "I can see everything…" she remembered the last time. All of time and space and matter. She could see it all, "All that is. All that was. All that could be. All that _mustn't_ be." Her voice was quiet but strong, and it scared Donna, "Everything."

"Rose…?" Donna murmured, unsure about this woman standing in front of her. So much had happened in the last few moments, and Rose had changed. Like she said she would, but it was still weird. "Rose, remember why you're here. Remember why you're like this. Help him!" the last came out as a plead, and anxious request from one who was so very afraid of allowing all this to happen.

"Do not fear, Donna Noble, you are safe." Rose said, facing Donna and sensing her fear, "I promise I won't hurt you."

Donna breathed a small sigh of relief, Rose Tyler was still in there somewhere. She had no doubt that the Bad Wolf could kill her in an instant if she saw fit, but she knew that Rose would never do that. Rose couldn't kill, and Donna didn't need to know her that well to know that. Rose wouldn't hurt her.

"The Doctor…" a breath, a voice caught in the wind. Coming from Rose and Donna at once, but also coming from neither. A voice issuing from the TARDIS herself. Rose turned herself and her thoughts to the Doctor. The man she loved. The man she _would_ save. She had to.

Donna watched as Rose drew in a deep breath, and when she let it out, it was followed by a string of golden light. Donna did not need to know what that light was, and she didn't really want to.

So she just watched it. Watched it as it snaked past her and down the corridor that led to the Doctor, still lying in his bed.

Rose watched it too, a slight look of interest on her face. She didn't know what she had been expecting to happen, all she had thought about was the Doctor. His smiling face, his hand in hers, his whispers and his shouts; telling her it'd all be okay. She smiled slightly, she was still Rose Tyler. And she loved him. He was kept her fighting.

And she was what kept him… Rose stumbled slightly. She was in his mind. And it burnt!

All his thoughts, his dreams, everything. It was too much for her….almost. But she stayed, because she could. It wasn't too much for the Bad Wolf, and the Bad Wolf was her. So she could see.

Eventually she left his head before it became too much. She was good at that, telling when it was time to go. Time to leave. She knew how much she could cope with, and how much it took to hurt her.

Rose felt the Doctor heal, and she knew it was time to let go. Like the Doctor had once told her, _You've done it, Rose, now let go. Just let go!_ And she would've, had it not been for that little voice in the back of her head, speaking to her, holding onto her, telling her not to let you.

_You can be with him, you know. You and him. You can have forever. Never aging, never withering, never dying. All of time and space. Rose Tyler and the Doctor. The Bad Wolf and the Oncoming Storm. All you have to do is hold on. Just don't let go, and you can have it all. No-one ever has to die again. No more pain. No more suffering. You could help everyone. You could save them all! Just hold on to the power. Don't let go of the Bad Wolf!_

"Rose…" Rose looked up, a comforting, welcome and much-missed voice cutting into her thoughts.

"No!…" the Doctor breathed, seeing what Rose had done.

"I had to. I had to keep you safe. I couldn't…couldn't let you die." Rose responded, trying to make him listen, make him _see_ why she had done it.

A single tear slipped down her face, leaving a pail yellow trail down her golden cheek.

"You didn't have to…" he whispered, walking over to her, the brilliant, bright light not appearing to faze him. He walked straight past Donna, who was still watching with amazement, he didn't look at her, but Donna could tell he was cheeking to see if she was okay. Donna nodded slightly as he slowed near her and he continued walking. Closer and closer to Rose Tyler aka the Bad Wolf.

"But I did." She said, barely a second after he spoke, "I want you safe, my Doctor. Safe." She echoed from so long ago. Memories and knowledge simmering in her mind, drowning her. She was falling, falling through time and space and no-one could help her, no-one could stop her. Then she felt a hand close around hers.

"It's okay, I've got you," the Doctor murmured from somewhere by Rose's ear as he linked their hands.

Donna watched in amazement as the Doctor reached out a hand and took Rose's in a firm grip. She was vaguely aware of her mouth hanging slightly open as the golden light surrounding Rose swept down her arm, and slowly crept up the Doctors, flowing through their joined hands until both were bathed in an unearthly golden glow.

"No…" Rose whispered as she realised what the Doctor was doing. He didn't reply, just stared straight ahead, a blank expression on his face, "You can't. It'll kill you."

Then he looked at her, really looked at her, and saw his emotions mirrored on her face, "I'm sorry, you have to let go…"

"Then I will." Rose said, he mind made up, "It doesn't burn like it did, I am in control of the Bad Wold. It is me and I am it. I can hold it…" her voice broke slightly, but she carried on nonetheless, "and I can let it go."

Another tear leaked from Rose's eye, following almost the same path as the last, but still leaving a slight indent on her face whenever the trails differed.

Summoning up all her energy, Rose pulled the power back from the Doctor, back to herself.

_Hold on, Rose Tyler. Then you can be together. You can be his equal. More than a companion, more than a friend. You can be special. You can live on. With him… Don't let go, Rose Tyler. Just don't let go and you can be more…_

"You're already more," the Doctor whispered, as if hearing her thoughts. His words gave her strength.

_You are not in charge of me! I make my own decisions and I say no!_ She shouted inside her head, forcing the Bad Wolf out. Fighting it back. Back to the time vortex. Back to the TARDIS. Away from her and away from the Doctor. He would be safe and they would be happy. They didn't need forever like the Bad Wolf promised, and that was what made all the difference between the human and the vortex. The Wolf wanted forever, but all Rose needed was here and now. With the Doctor. No forever, no false promises, nothing. Just them.

The Doctor watched, pride in his eyes as Rose fought the Bad Wolf. She was so strong, and when it came out of her, when the light he had allowed to leave him left her, he didn't think he had ever been so proud of anyone in his life!

He had almost changed his mind when he had felt her pull the vortex out of him. He knew he was strong enough to get rid of it, but he couldn't be sure if Rose would be. He knew the power the time vortex held, and he would die if anything had happened to Rose. He had only let her go because he trusted her, and he knew he could step in if it looked like anything was going wrong. If he needed to, he could still save her.

But he hadn't needed to! He hated to admit it, but he honestly didn't think that she would be able to do it. He knew the vortex, he knew all about the little mind games it plays with you, and that was why he spoke to her when he did. He had no doubt that it would be telling her all sorts of things, fake promises, if he knew anything – which, of course, he did. So he had told her. Well, sort of. He had told her that she was more… he only hoped she knew what he meant. And she was… she was so, so much more…

Than what? What was Rose Tyler more than. She was more than so much to the Doctor. He couldn't even find the words to say what she meant to him.

Donna was still watching as the light fled out of Rose, leaving her. Briefly, it flew towards her, and Donna was afraid that it would find her and take her, but it didn't. It changed course and was sucked into the TARDIS, closing the open section as it disappeared. Donna looked on as Rose fell against the Doctor, her hand resting in a small fist by the side of his neck. She watched as the Doctor placed a strong hand on her back, while the other slipped to her knees, pulling her into a tight embrace and lifting her off the ground.

Donna rushed to help as the Doctor stumbled slightly under Rose's weight, but instead headed towards the door when he regained his balance and carried Rose easily across the room and through the now-open door into the corridor of the TARDIS.

"Door…" he breathed, concentrating on the female resting in his arms. Donna quickly scurried to open the door to the Doctor's bedroom, standing aside to allow him to carry Rose through.

Carefully, the Doctor edged past Donna, looking down at the small human he was holding. He examined every perfect detail on her peaceful face. The Doctor found himself wondering numbly exactly what it was that made him fall in love so deeply with this child. He would never admit it, of course, not even to himself, but there was no denying

She breathed deeply, and her head fell against his chest, causing the Doctor's heartbeats to increase dramatically. He so wanted to move that strand of hair away from her face, but he could not move his hands for fear of dropping her. She looked so delicate, so fragile, that at that moment, the Doctor was positive that if he let her fall, or held her too tight, she would shatter into a million tiny pieces.

Donna stood by as the Doctor slowly laid Rose Tyler onto his bed. She watched as he brushed her hair carefully out of her face with his fingertips. So much love shone through his eyes, Donna thought it a wonder he didn't explode with not telling her. She was sure he hadn't told her, but maybe he didn't need to.

_Look at them, _Donna thought, and suddenly she found herself feeling rather detached, like she shouldn't be there.

Rose drew in another deep breath, and the Doctor looked up at Donna for what felt like the first time in years. He beckoned for her to come and sit with him by the bed.

Together, they watched Rose Tyler as she slept. Both lost in their thoughts, both thinking the same thing:

_Please let her be alright!_


	11. Whispers and Dreams

**here it is! at last! the final chapter!  
sorry it took me a while to upload this, i actually had it written about a week ago, it just took me a while to transfer it to my computer! :S sorry!**

**a HUGE HUGE HUGE thank you to EVERYONE who has reviewed this story!! you made writing it an absolute pleasure!  
therefore, i would like to dedicate this final chapter to everyone and anyone who has reviewed. thank you thank you thank you!**

**please REVIEW this one, last time!! reviews love!**

**hope you enjoy and i don't let you down!**

* * *

"Rose…" Rose's eyelids fluttered slightly, causing Donna to breath a sigh of relief at her sign of life, but the Doctor's gaze stayed firmly fixed on the young woman lying in front of him.

"Doctor…" she breathed, slowly opening her eyes and blinking furiously as she tried to focus on the scene in front of her.

A familiar, wonderful face swam into view and Rose's mouth slowly spread into a gentle smile. Letting out the breath he had been holding for too long, the Doctor grinned back, unable to contain his joy at Rose's life.

"Hello!" he grinned, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. For both their sakes.

"Hello," she breathed, unable to speak any louder than a whisper. Her smile increased as the Doctor lit up the whole room with his stupid, perfect grin.

Then he was pulling her to him, and they were hugging. Laughing. Never going to let each other go. Ever. Again.

Rose closed her eyes, breathing in the Doctor's comfortable, familiar, wonderful sent. Holding her tighter to him, the Doctor buried his head in her soft, blond hair. Anyone looking in at that moment would've struggled to see where one ended and the other began.

Finally and reluctantly, Rose and the Doctor tore themselves away from each other, but their hands remained firmly clasped between them.

"What…what happened?" Rose asked, once she had her fill of the Doctor's deep, brown eyes,

"You don't remember…" the Doctor whispered, understanding her so completely, Rose had to sigh contently,

"Um… I remember… there was a light… and I looked into the TARDIS… I remember…" Rose clutched her head and moaned slightly as she suddenly underwent a stabbing pain in her mind, "Um…I remember…"

The Doctor put a hand on her arm, causing her to close her mouth and just sit in silence, because, sometimes, they didn't need words, "Shhh…" the Doctor whispered, running his finger gently along the inside of her arm, "Don't try to remember…"

Rose closed her eyes, and allowed herself to be soothed by the Doctor's words and the gentle pressure of his finger on her skin.

"Will you tell me…someday?" she breathed, already knowing the answer,

"Maybe. Maybe you won't need me to tell you. Maybe you'll remember by yourself." The Doctor replied softly, "But I will tell you something…" he continued, "You were _fantastic_!" they both smiled at the long-forgotten word, "Absolutely fantastic!"

Donna smiled at the two. The Time Lord who saved the world, and the small human girl who saved him. They were perfect, and for a moment, Donna let herself be a part of that, and then she turned, and left the room, giving them space to be alone. They deserved that, at least.

.o0o0o

"Won't you come in?" Donna asked, as the Doctor took Rose's hand, ready to lead her off, "Not even for just a cup of tea?"

"No, we better be off. You sure you won't come with us?" Rose replied, giving the Doctor's hand a gentle squeeze, she knew how hard this must be for him, loosing someone else,

"No, you don't need little old me anymore, I'll just get in your way!" Donna attempted a joke, but the tears were obvious in all three pairs of eyes,

"You really don't have to go, you know," the Doctor whispered hoarsely, silently pleading for her not to leave him,

Donna reached over and pulled him into a final hug, "You've got Rose now, she'll look after you," she whispered into his ear, smiling reassuringly at Rose over his shoulder.

Rose stood back a bit, allowing the friends to say goodbye. She wasn't jealous, not at all, she knew the Doctor would always come back to her. Her Doctor.

Donna finally released the Doctor, and turned to Rose, pulling her into an equally tight embrace, "Look after him," she whispered, a small tear leaking out of the corner of her eye and dropping onto Rose's bare shoulder,

"I will," Rose whispered back, holding her friend closer to her.

This time, when Donna let go of Rose, she stood back and smiled,

"Take care, you two. And if you're ever in Chiswick, give me a buzz!"

"We will. And if you ever want to come back, well… you have our number," Rose offered, one final attempt at getting Donna away from her front door and back to the TARDIS.

The Doctor looked down at Rose, gratitude pouring out of his eyes for what she just said. Noticing the tears at the back of his eyes, Rose slipped her hand back into his,

"We'll see you again, Donna Noble. This isn't goodbye. Not forever, at least," she tried, winding her fingers through the Doctor's and tugging slightly, letting him know it was time to go, but she would wait if he wanted her to. She would wait forever for this man. He looked at her, and nodded his head, just the tiniest of movements, but Donna didn't miss it.

Donna watched as the two people interacted with each other, it was almost as if they knew exactly what the other was thinking. She was so happy to have met Rose Tyler, and to see the Doctor happy again. _Truly _happy. The happiness he only got when he mentioned her name, but only about 1,000 times happier. They would be just fine without her.

Eventually, Donna got rid of the time travellers at her door, and closed said door gently behind her. She pressed her ear against the door, listening to the sounds of the TARDIS disappearing from her life, and no matter what the Doctor and Rose said, she knew this would be the last time she ever heard that noise.

It seemed to sound different to Donna, that last time, almost as if it were hesitating. Donna realised that it was giving her time to change her mind. If she wanted to, it was allowing her to rush out and call the Doctor back to her. But she wouldn't do that. This was it. The end.

But that wasn't right. It was the end of her travels in time, yes, but why should that be the end of Donna Noble. No, she would keep going, in the Doctor's name, she would help. Never killing, of course, but helping.

A whole new life.

.o0o0o

"You okay?" Rose asked, shuffling slightly closer to the Doctor, her arm just brushing against his in the cold snow of Frapzor.

"I'm always okay," he replied, and they both knew he wasn't. Rose looked up at him, the man who gave her life, and smiled, but it was a hollow smile.

The Doctor smiled back, glad of her warmth on the freezing planet. He was so glad he met her. He had told her that once before, but he realised now that he didn't tell her nearly often enough just what she meant to him.

"Rose…" he started, trailing off as soon as he spoke her name, relishing the taste of it against his lips. So long, since he last said that word, too long.

"Yes Doctor?" she asked, looking up at him with those big, brown eyes. He wanted to drown in those eyes, never to look away from them, or her, again.

"Rose Tyler I…I…"

"I know," she replied, and he could see that was the truth.

The Doctor sighed, and slipped his hand out of her grasp, instead allowing it to rest on the other side of her waist, pulling her closer to him. Even now, after all this time, he couldn't say it. Those words. Maybe they'd never come. Maybe they'd never need to. She knew. He knew she knew.

"Me too," she whispered, resting her head on his shoulder and putting her arm around him, "Me too…"

He didn't know how long he stood there, her head on his shoulder, his hand on her waist, but by the time they began to head back to the TARDIS, the suns they had been watching set had all risen again, and the snow that had earlier covered them and their surroundings had melted, ready for a new day. And he felt ready too.

They walked back to the TARDIS, hand in hand. They both knew it wouldn't be the same as it was before this time.

It would be better. Much, much better.

**The End.**

**Or a new beginning**

* * *

**so there you go. the end.  
love it? hate it? press that little blue button and tell me what you thought!!**

**personlly, i'm not sure about the ending, do you think leaving Donna like that was a good idea? tell me!!**

**go on, you know you WANT to press that button and let me know! it only takes a second! go on!**

**thank you for staying with me all this way!  
love. x-x-x**


End file.
